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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · band · track · rule · mark · snap · court · pit

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pit — a hole
  3. last — to go on
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. court — of law
  7. rule — a law
  8. last — finally
  9. pit — in a race
  10. track — to keep track
  11. court — of a king
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. track — a path
  18. last — final
  19. track — a song
  20. mark — a grade
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. court — for sport
  23. snap — to click
  24. mark — a trace

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