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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. board — to get on
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. court — of law
  8. board — a committee
  9. mug — a cup
  10. object — to protest
  11. mug — a face
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. court — of a king
  14. mark — a grade
  15. object — a thing
  16. row — a line
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. row — to paddle
  19. object — an aim
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mug — to rob
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. court — for sport
  24. mark — a trace

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