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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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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: game · mark · row · lean · fork · lash · rest · court

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. game — a match
  6. court — for sport
  7. row — a line
  8. lean — to bend
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rest — a break
  12. court — of law
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mark — a trace
  21. court — of a king
  22. mark — a grade
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. lean — thin

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