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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. swing — to play on
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. court — for sport
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. current — electric
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. lean — to bend
  14. swing — in golf
  15. current — happening now
  16. shower — rain
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. swing — music
  19. current — of water
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. rash — a series
  22. shower — to wash
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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