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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rest — what's left
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mark — a grade
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. court — for sport
  9. track — to keep track
  10. band — a ring
  11. perch — the fish
  12. band — a music group
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. race — a contest
  15. court — of a king
  16. staff — employees
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rest — a break
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. staff — employees
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. staff — a stick
  23. race — humankind
  24. court — of law

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