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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. spring — of water
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bound — obliged
  7. spring — a coil
  8. last — finally
  9. bound — tied together
  10. spring — the season
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mark — a trace
  17. craft — boats
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bound — certain
  20. ball — a dance
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — a measure
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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