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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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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: date · snap · pass · tube · court · wake · cell · calf

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. cell — a phone
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. date — the fruit
  5. snap — to click
  6. court — of law
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. court — of a king
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. court — for sport
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. tube — a container
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pass — a permit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. tube — the underground
  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