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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cell — in biology
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cell — a phone
  5. court — of a king
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. ground — crushed
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ground — a position
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ground — the earth
  18. court — for sport
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. court — of law
  24. bowl — to roll

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