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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: mate · lash · cap · court · content · saw · pit · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pit — a hole
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mate — a friend
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cap — a hat
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cap — of ice
  17. court — for sport
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. saw — the tool
  21. court — of a king
  22. content — the amount
  23. court — of law
  24. pit — in a race

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