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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. spell — a short time
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. court — for sport
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. court — of a king
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. cold — not warm
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. key — in music
  24. wake — a trail

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