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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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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: lean · wake · snap · rock · saw · race · court · ball

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lean — to bend
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. court — for sport
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. race — the arms race
  10. ball — a great time
  11. court — of a king
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. lean — thin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. race — humankind
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. snap — to click
  21. court — of law
  22. race — a contest
  23. ball — a dance
  24. wake — a trail

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