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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. file — a tool
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. court — for sport
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. file — a document
  8. wound — an injury
  9. roll — a cake
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. court — of a king
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. court — of law
  14. file — a line of people
  15. roll — a list
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wake — a trail
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wound — an injury
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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