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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: court · cell · pit · wave · arm · deal · lean · mark

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mark — a grade
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cell — a phone
  6. court — of a king
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mark — a trace
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. cell — in biology
  17. court — for sport
  18. pit — a hole
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. court — of law
  21. pit — in a race
  22. deal — to handle
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. lean — thin

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