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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 120 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: club · spell · lie · court · mark · cold · saw · present

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. spell — a short time
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. present — the time now
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spell — magic
  9. club — for golf
  10. court — for sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mark — a grade
  15. court — of law
  16. present — there
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. present — a gift
  20. spell — letters
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mark — a trace
  23. court — of a king
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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