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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rush — hurry
  3. scale — size or range
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. court — of law
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. court — of a king
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. row — a line
  12. scale — in music
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mark — a grade
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. row — to paddle
  18. court — for sport
  19. sharp — clever
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. foot — a measure

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