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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cap — a hat
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. cap — a lid
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. band — a ring
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cap — of ice
  24. rush — to hurry

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