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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. suit — to fit
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. spell — a short time
  7. court — of law
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cold — an illness
  16. suit — in cards
  17. sharp — clever
  18. suit — clothes
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wake — a trail
  21. spell — magic
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. spell — letters
  24. racket — a loud noise

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