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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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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. chest — a box
  3. cue — a hint
  4. chest — of your body
  5. court — for sport
  6. foot — a measure
  7. board — a committee
  8. cue — a signal
  9. board — to get on
  10. scale — in music
  11. chest — of your body
  12. scale — size or range
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cue — for pool
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. court — of a king
  18. foot — part of the body

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