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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. band — a ring
  3. content — the amount
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bear — the animal
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. root — of a plant
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. court — for sport
  12. band — a music group
  13. content — happy
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rush — hurry
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. root — the cause
  20. mark — a grade
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. root — of a word
  24. bear — to put up with

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