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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · dip · ball · rest · court · fan · rash · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. sharp — clever
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. rest — a break
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. last — final
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ball — a great time
  16. last — finally
  17. rest — what's left
  18. court — of a king
  19. rash — a series
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ball — a dance

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