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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rash — a series
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. court — for sport
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rash — hasty
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. court — of a king
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. court — of law
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rash — on the skin

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