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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. wake — a trail
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fall — the season
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. roll — a cake
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. court — of a king
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bass — low music
  13. roll — a list
  14. net — for catching
  15. bass — the fish
  16. net — in sport
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. net — after costs
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. mark — a grade

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