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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. court — for sport
  4. lean — thin
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fork — in a road
  9. court — of law
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. court — of a king
  13. pit — a hole
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pit — in a race
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fine — all right
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bat — in an idiom

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