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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: game · wake · ball · chair · sharp · roll · lie · pass

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. roll — a list
  5. lie — to recline
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. chair — a leader
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pass — a permit
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. roll — a cake
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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