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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mark — a grade
  3. band — a music group
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. kick — in football
  10. band — a ring
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cue — a hint
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cue — a signal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. band — a rubber band

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