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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cap — a hat
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. court — of a king
  10. cap — of ice
  11. court — of law
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. mark — a trace
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. squash — the sport
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mark — a grade
  19. court — for sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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