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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cue — a hint
  4. court — of law
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. row — a line
  7. cue — a signal
  8. court — of a king
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. row — to paddle
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cue — for pool
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. mark — a grade
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mark — a trace
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wound — an injury
  21. court — for sport
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. lash — an eyelash

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