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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rush — hurry
  8. prune — to trim
  9. season — in sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. cap — a lid
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. season — of the year
  15. court — of law
  16. board — a committee
  17. bore — to tire
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cap — of ice
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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