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

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. pass — a permit
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. last — finally
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. court — of a king
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. band — a music group
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. game — a match
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. band — a ring
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bowl — a dish

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