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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. fork — in a road
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. court — of law
  13. fall — to drop
  14. firm — decided
  15. court — of a king
  16. firm — a company
  17. court — for sport
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. firm — steady
  23. fall — the season
  24. charge — in control

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