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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. shower — to wash
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. court — of a king
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. craft — boats
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. court — for sport
  15. face — to confront
  16. craft — a skill
  17. face — part of the head
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. shower — rain
  22. court — of law
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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