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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. lean — thin
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mine — for digging
  10. court — of law
  11. last — finally
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. last — final
  14. lean — to bend
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — to go on
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. chip — for betting
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. court — of a king

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