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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mark — a grade
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. court — for sport
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. fine — all right
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. sharp — clever
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. staff — employees
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. row — to paddle
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mark — a trace
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. staff — a stick
  19. court — of a king
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. staff — employees
  22. fine — high quality
  23. row — a line
  24. sharp — exactly

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