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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. sharp — clever
  6. last — finally
  7. court — of law
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. court — of a king
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. last — to go on
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. court — for sport
  21. last — final
  22. kick — in football
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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