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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. squash — the sport
  12. court — of law
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. prune — to trim
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. squash — to crush
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stand — on your feet

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