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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wake — a trail
  8. craft — boats
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. mark — a trace
  22. court — of a king
  23. wound — an injury
  24. craft — a skill

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