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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. court — for sport
  5. suit — to fit
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wake — a trail
  8. club — a group
  9. drill — the tool
  10. perch — the fish
  11. mug — to rob
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mug — a face
  14. suit — in cards
  15. club — for golf
  16. squash — to crush
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. suit — clothes
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — army training
  24. mug — a cup

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