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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. court — of a king
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bass — low music
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. court — for sport
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. kick — in football
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wind — moving air
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. court — of law
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rule — a law
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rule — government

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