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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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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: tear · rest · rush · tube · fine · court · sharp · craft

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. court — of a king
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tear — from crying
  6. craft — boats
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rest — a break
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tube — a container
  13. court — of law
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fine — high quality
  19. tear — to rip
  20. court — for sport
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fine — all right
  24. craft — a skill

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