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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. court — for sport
  4. wake — a trail
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. squash — the sport
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — to get on
  14. date — the fruit
  15. court — of a king
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. squash — to crush
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. board — a committee
  20. foot — a measure
  21. scale — in music
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. scale — size or range
  24. court — of law

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