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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. last — to go on
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. mark — a trace
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. date — the fruit
  11. last — final
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mark — a grade
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. last — finally
  16. foot — a measure
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. date — on the calendar

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