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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mark — a trace
  4. object — to protest
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bank — of a river
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bank — for money
  10. fork — in a road
  11. object — a thing
  12. court — of law
  13. hand — help
  14. rest — a break
  15. object — an aim
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bank — for money
  24. hand — part of the body

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