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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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 grade
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fall — to drop
  4. court — for sport
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. clip — a video
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. court — of a king
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. clip — to cut
  22. dip — to sink
  23. pit — a hole
  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