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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 124 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. last — final
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. last — to go on
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mug — a face
  9. court — of law
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. ground — a position
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. last — finally
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bass — low music
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mug — to rob
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. court — of a king

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