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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. court — for sport
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. dip — to sink
  7. ball — a great time
  8. last — final
  9. ball — a dance
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. court — of law
  15. suit — in cards
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chair — a leader
  18. suit — clothes
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. suit — to fit
  22. court — of a king
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. last — to go on

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