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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. court — for sport
  3. mark — a trace
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. track — a path
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. court — of law
  14. track — to keep track
  15. court — of a king
  16. track — a song
  17. drill — the tool
  18. season — of the year
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. drill — army training
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. season — in sport
  24. scale — size or range

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