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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pop — soda
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. court — of a king
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. pop — to visit
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mate — a partner
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pop — music
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. racket — a loud noise

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