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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. last — final
  3. court — of law
  4. fall — to drop
  5. current — of water
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. court — for sport
  9. fine — high quality
  10. current — electric
  11. last — to go on
  12. fall — the season
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. current — happening now
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spell — a short time
  19. last — finally
  20. spell — magic
  21. court — of a king
  22. fine — all right
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. jam — a tight spot

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