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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. last — finally
  4. court — for sport
  5. bass — low music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wake — a trail
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. last — final
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. court — of law
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. court — of a king
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — to go on
  21. scale — in music
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. scale — for weighing

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