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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 116 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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. season — of the year
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. game — a match
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ball — a dance
  9. plane — a tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. trunk — of a tree

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