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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: suit · mark · bay · cell · straw · lash · court · present

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cell — a phone
  7. present — the time now
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mark — a trace
  10. court — for sport
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. court — of a king
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — to fit
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. present — there
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. present — a gift
  23. mark — a grade
  24. suit — clothes

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