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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. court — for sport
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wake — a trail
  7. suit — in cards
  8. spell — a short time
  9. hand — help
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. scale — in music
  13. spell — magic
  14. club — a group
  15. hand — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. spell — letters
  18. suit — clothes
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. court — of law
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. court — of a king
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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