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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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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: rock · track · wave · scale · kick · court · cell · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. court — of law
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. court — for sport
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. court — of a king
  11. cell — in biology
  12. kick — in football
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. track — a path
  15. scale — in music
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cell — a phone
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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