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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. track — to keep track
  3. court — of law
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spell — letters
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. spell — a short time
  10. race — humankind
  11. track — a path
  12. spell — magic
  13. race — the arms race
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. hand — help
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. race — a contest
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. track — a song
  24. pitcher — a jug

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