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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rock — music
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. staff — employees
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rock — a stone
  13. court — of law
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. court — of a king
  17. cold — an illness
  18. court — for sport
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. root — the cause
  22. bear — the animal
  23. root — of a word
  24. cold — not warm

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