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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. spell — magic
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. kid — to tease
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. stand — to bear
  17. spell — letters
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. roll — a list
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. kid — child
  22. roll — a cake
  23. pit — a hole
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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