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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · ball · coach · track · wave · rest · wake · court

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. ball — a dance
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ball — a great time
  5. press — newspapers
  6. court — of law
  7. press — to push
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. court — of a king
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. track — a song
  15. rest — what's left
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rest — a break
  18. track — a path
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. court — for sport
  23. press — a publisher
  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