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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mate — a friend
  4. can — to be able to
  5. last — finally
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mate — to breed
  8. can — a tin
  9. fine — all right
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fine — high quality
  12. degree — an amount
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mark — a trace
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. can — a tin
  22. mate — a partner
  23. court — of a king
  24. ruler — for measuring

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