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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. drill — army training
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rock — music
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. capital — money
  17. rock — a stone
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. capital — a city
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. fork — in a road
  22. drill — the tool
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. fork — to eat with

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