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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cap — of ice
  4. band — a ring
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bore — to tire
  7. ball — a great time
  8. spell — a short time
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ball — a dance
  11. spell — letters
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. band — a music group
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. spell — magic
  24. band — a rubber band

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