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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. land — to come down
  3. field — for sport
  4. ball — a dance
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fine — all right
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fine — high quality
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. field — a subject
  14. land — a country
  15. field — farmland
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. land — ground
  18. hand — in cards
  19. dip — to sink
  20. hand — help
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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