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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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 — to stop sleeping
  2. mug — a cup
  3. court — of law
  4. ball — a dance
  5. current — electric
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mug — to rob
  16. current — of water
  17. court — of a king
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mug — a face
  22. wake — a trail
  23. current — happening now
  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