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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rock — music
  3. band — a ring
  4. mark — a trace
  5. court — for sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wake — a trail
  12. court — of a king
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rush — hurry
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bat — the animal
  23. band — a music group
  24. court — of law

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