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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. ball — a great time
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. present — a gift
  8. last — to go on
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. present — there
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cap — of ice
  13. last — final
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cap — a hat
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. present — the time now
  19. wake — a trail
  20. court — of a king
  21. ball — a dance
  22. kick — in football
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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