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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fork — in a road
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. court — of a king
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rest — what's left
  13. court — of law
  14. pitch — completely
  15. staff — employees
  16. rest — what's left
  17. can — a tin
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. court — for sport
  20. staff — a stick
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rest — a break
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. can — a tin

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