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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: file · fine · spell · court · hand · mark · present · pound

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. present — a gift
  4. court — of law
  5. spell — letters
  6. file — a document
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fine — all right
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. fine — high quality
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. court — of a king
  16. present — the time now
  17. court — for sport
  18. file — a line of people
  19. present — there
  20. spell — magic
  21. mark — a grade
  22. file — a tool
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. pound — a weight

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