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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mug · toast · cell · wake · pop · drill · court · pitcher

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. court — of law
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. drill — army training
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pop — music
  7. court — for sport
  8. wake — a trail
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. court — of a king
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — soda
  15. mug — a face
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — bread
  18. pop — to visit
  19. drill — a practice
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pitcher — a jug

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