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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. court — for sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. degree — temperature
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wound — an injury
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. court — of a king
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. court — of law
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. degree — an amount
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com