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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: mark · bay · rush · row · clip · track · vault · court

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. track — a path
  6. clip — for paper
  7. vault — a safe
  8. track — to keep track
  9. row — to paddle
  10. court — of law
  11. row — a line
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. clip — a video
  14. track — a song
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. court — for sport
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. court — of a king
  24. clip — to cut

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