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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. mark — a grade
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. court — of law
  6. pop — soda
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. hand — help
  11. pop — music
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pop — to visit
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. court — for sport
  18. rest — a break
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mark — a trace
  23. patient — a sick person
  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