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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: mark · row · court · kid · dip · arm · wind · lie

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mark — a trace
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mark — a grade
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. court — for sport
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wind — moving air
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. court — of a king

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