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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. fine — all right
  5. pit — a hole
  6. court — of law
  7. chair — a leader
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. face — part of the head
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pit — in a race
  15. court — for sport
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mark — a trace
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. court — of a king
  21. face — to confront
  22. snap — to click
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. face — to point toward

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