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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: court · track · cold · lash · foot · ground · mark · sharp

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mark — a trace
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ground — crushed
  14. track — a song
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. ground — a position
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. court — for sport
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. foot — a measure
  24. track — a path

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