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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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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: perch · mark · last · safe · pass · wind · court · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mark — a trace
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — a grade
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. last — finally
  16. wind — moving air
  17. last — to go on
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wake — a trail
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. court — for sport
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. last — final

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