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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 120 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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. court — of a king
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. present — there
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fork — in a road
  7. shower — rain
  8. court — for sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. shower — to wash
  11. court — of law
  12. can — a tin
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. present — the time now
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. tear — to rip
  19. can — to be able to
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. present — a gift
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. tear — from crying

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