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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pop — to visit
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. court — for sport
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. row — a line
  12. prune — to trim
  13. row — to paddle
  14. prune — to trim
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pop — music
  17. wake — a trail
  18. net — after costs
  19. bore — to drill
  20. net — in sport
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pop — soda
  23. net — for catching
  24. prune — the fruit

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