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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. land — a country
  4. mate — to breed
  5. land — to come down
  6. pop — music
  7. toast — bread
  8. fork — in a road
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. court — of law
  14. land — ground
  15. pop — to visit
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pop — soda
  19. spring — the season
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. court — of a king
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mate — a friend
  24. court — for sport

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