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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: arm · mark · cap · court · bay · date · wake · face

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. mark — a grade
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wake — a trail
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. court — of law
  19. cap — of ice
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. date — the fruit
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. court — of a king
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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