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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: present · ball · cap · court · wave · club · mate · wake

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wake — a trail
  4. club — a group
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mate — a friend
  7. present — a gift
  8. cap — of ice
  9. court — of a king
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mate — to breed
  17. court — of law
  18. club — for golf
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cap — a hat
  22. court — for sport
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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