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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. land — ground
  3. squash — the sport
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. land — a country
  10. fall — to drop
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. land — to come down
  15. court — of a king
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. court — of law
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fall — the season
  23. court — for sport
  24. mark — a grade

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