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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. court — of law
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. net — for catching
  5. mark — a grade
  6. hand — in cards
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. stem — to come from
  9. net — in sport
  10. mark — a trace
  11. row — a line
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. court — of a king
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. row — to paddle
  17. net — after costs
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. court — for sport
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. row — a quarrel

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