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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. pop — music
  3. season — of the year
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. season — in sport
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rest — what's left
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. field — a subject
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rest — a break
  19. pop — soda
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wind — moving air
  22. field — farmland
  23. mark — a grade
  24. field — for sport

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