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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 120 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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mate — a friend
  4. court — for sport
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. court — of a king
  7. track — to keep track
  8. drill — a practice
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. track — a path
  11. court — of law
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mark — a trace
  16. snap — to click
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. mark — a grade
  20. drill — army training
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. track — a song
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mate — to breed

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