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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 116 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rash — a series
  3. court — of a king
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — a grade
  6. fall — the season
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. court — of law
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. court — for sport
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. dip — to sink
  21. wind — moving air
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fall — to drop

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