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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. court — of a king
  6. last — final
  7. mark — a grade
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — in cards
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. court — for sport
  12. rock — a stone
  13. court — of law
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rock — music
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. last — finally
  23. cell — in biology
  24. suit — to fit

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