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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. swing — music
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. court — of a king
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. court — for sport
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. court — of law
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mine — for digging

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