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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: wake · toast · cell · wave · suit · bay · court · lean

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. wake — a trail
  3. court — for sport
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lean — to bend
  12. suit — clothes
  13. toast — bread
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. court — of law
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. court — of a king
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. lean — thin

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