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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. track — to keep track
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fall — to drop
  6. last — to go on
  7. court — of law
  8. fall — to drop
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fall — the season
  11. kid — child
  12. court — of a king
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. last — finally
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. court — for sport
  21. kid — to tease
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. last — final

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