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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. last — to go on
  3. suit — in cards
  4. last — finally
  5. mark — a grade
  6. suit — clothes
  7. scale — in music
  8. court — for sport
  9. suit — to fit
  10. court — of law
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mark — a trace
  13. last — final
  14. scale — size or range
  15. court — of a king
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cue — for pool
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bank — for money
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bank — for money
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cue — a signal

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