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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: dip · game · jam · spell · court · pass · mark · cold

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. court — of law
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. spell — letters
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cold — an illness
  18. court — of a king
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. court — for sport
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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