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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 116 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. stock — shares
  9. staff — employees
  10. court — for sport
  11. last — final
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. last — to go on
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. track — a path
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. last — finally
  21. track — a song
  22. stock — goods
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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