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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 120 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. court — for sport
  3. drill — a practice
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. court — of law
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wake — a trail
  10. last — finally
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cap — a hat
  13. can — to be able to
  14. last — final
  15. court — of a king
  16. last — to go on
  17. drill — army training
  18. rest — a break
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cue — for pool
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. cue — a signal
  24. rest — what's left

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