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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pop — music
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. track — a song
  14. pop — to visit
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. court — for sport
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pop — soda
  23. court — of a king
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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