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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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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — a cake
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. march — music
  6. shower — rain
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. court — for sport
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pit — a hole
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pop — soda
  18. court — of a king
  19. pop — music
  20. pit — in a race
  21. court — of law
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. roll — on a roll

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