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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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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: last · wave · ball · hide · present · court · track · saw

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. court — of law
  3. present — there
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. last — final
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. track — a path
  9. ball — a dance
  10. court — of a king
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ball — a great time
  13. saw — the tool
  14. last — to go on
  15. track — a song
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. last — finally
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. court — for sport
  24. hide — animal skin

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