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

Word bank: present · court · pit · wave · capital · trunk · cue · wake

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. court — of a king
  4. wake — a trail
  5. present — a gift
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pit — a hole
  8. present — there
  9. cue — a hint
  10. court — for sport
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. present — the time now
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. capital — money
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. cue — a signal
  23. court — of law
  24. wave — with your hand

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