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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: nail · present · bay · court · band · mark · season · rest

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. court — for sport
  3. mark — a trace
  4. court — of a king
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. season — of the year
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. band — a music group
  11. court — of law
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mark — a grade
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. season — in sport
  18. present — there
  19. band — a ring
  20. rest — what's left
  21. present — the time now
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rest — a break
  24. nail — on a finger

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