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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 116 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — a trace
  3. court — for sport
  4. spring — of water
  5. swing — music
  6. last — final
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. spring — the season
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. last — finally
  15. spring — a coil
  16. swing — to play on
  17. can — a tin
  18. pass — a permit
  19. swing — in golf
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. last — to go on

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