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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pass — a permit
  4. court — of law
  5. band — a music group
  6. spell — a short time
  7. tube — a container
  8. suit — clothes
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. degree — an amount
  12. spell — magic
  13. court — of a king
  14. suit — to fit
  15. court — for sport
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. band — a ring
  23. suit — in cards
  24. spell — letters

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