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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 120 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. field — a subject
  5. court — for sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fine — all right
  8. court — of a king
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. field — for sport
  12. pit — in a race
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. court — of law
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fine — high quality
  19. field — farmland
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pit — a hole

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