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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. court — for sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fork — in a road
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. snap — to click
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pit — a hole
  13. fall — the season
  14. swing — music
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pit — in a race
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. sharp — clever

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