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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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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: court · leaves · mark · sharp · hand · chest · wave · swing

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. swing — to play on
  3. court — of law
  4. hand — in cards
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. chest — of your body
  8. swing — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chest — a box
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mark — a grade
  15. court — for sport
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. court — of a king
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. hand — help
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mark — a trace
  23. swing — in golf
  24. sharp — clever

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