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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 · pound · court · fan · leaves · bat · cell · mark

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mark — a grade
  8. court — of a king
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. court — of law
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cell — a phone
  15. court — for sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cell — in biology
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cell — in a prison

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