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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mark — a trace
  3. pit — a hole
  4. hand — in cards
  5. last — final
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pit — in a race
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mark — a grade
  12. last — to go on
  13. pop — soda
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. hand — help
  18. court — of a king
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pop — music
  22. court — of law
  23. last — finally
  24. court — for sport

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