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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  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. court — for sport
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. wake — a trail
  6. tube — the underground
  7. toast — bread
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. court — of a king
  12. spell — letters
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bore — to drill
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. tube — a container
  18. bore — to tire
  19. spell — magic
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. wave — of the sea
  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