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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 120 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bore — to tire
  3. game — wild animals
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. ball — a great time
  10. deal — to handle
  11. court — of law
  12. mark — a trace
  13. tube — a container
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mark — a grade

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