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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. kid — child
  7. drill — the tool
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. court — of a king
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. court — of law
  12. drill — army training
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. drill — a practice
  16. kid — to tease
  17. foot — a measure
  18. court — for sport

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