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

Word bank: court · stick · sharp · wound · clip · rule · wave · hide

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. court — of a king
  5. wound — an injury
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. court — for sport
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. court — of law
  10. clip — for paper
  11. sharp — clever
  12. clip — a video
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wound — an injury
  16. clip — to cut
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rule — government
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. rule — a 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