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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. court — of law
  8. snap — to click
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. court — for sport
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mark — a trace
  16. track — a song
  17. stand — to bear
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. track — a path
  24. court — of a king

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