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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. court — of law
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. court — of a king
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. snap — to click
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bass — low music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wave — of the sea

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