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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wake — a trail
  3. band — a ring
  4. court — of law
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pop — soda
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. key — the most important part
  11. spring — the season
  12. band — a music group
  13. key — for a lock
  14. court — of a king
  15. pass — a permit
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. spring — of water
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pop — music
  21. key — in music
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pop — to visit
  24. spring — a coil

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