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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 · wave · key · court · chair · shower · cap · wake

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. shower — rain
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. key — for a lock
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wake — a trail
  13. date — the fruit
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. chair — a leader
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. court — of law
  24. cap — a hat

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