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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: stick · bat · mark · lean · content · rash · court · band

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. content — happy
  8. rash — a series
  9. lean — thin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. court — of law
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bat — the animal
  15. band — a ring
  16. court — of a king
  17. lean — to bend
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. court — for sport
  21. mark — a grade
  22. content — the amount
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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