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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 120 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: stand · cold · fork · bay · wave · court · rock · sharp

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rock — a stone
  3. court — for sport
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. fork — in a road
  6. court — of a king
  7. rock — music
  8. court — of law
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bay — a horse colour

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