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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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. mug — a face
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mug — to rob
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mug — a cup
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. court — for sport
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rash — a series
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. court — of law
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mark — a trace
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. court — of a king
  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