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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pit — in a race
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mark — a trace
  6. court — of a king
  7. pit — a hole
  8. court — of law
  9. spell — letters
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. file — a document
  12. lie — to recline
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. sharp — clever
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mark — a grade
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. file — a tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. court — for sport

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