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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. court — of a king
  3. mark — a grade
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wake — a trail
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. court — of law
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. last — finally
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — in sport
  16. last — to go on
  17. net — for catching
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bark — to shout
  20. net — after costs
  21. court — for sport
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. last — final

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