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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wake — a trail
  3. court — for sport
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. court — of a king
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. track — a path
  10. last — finally
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. season — of the year
  14. track — a song
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tube — a container
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. tube — the underground
  19. saw — the tool
  20. track — to keep track
  21. season — in sport
  22. court — of law
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. last — to go on

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