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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. swing — to play on
  3. foot — a measure
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. saw — the tool
  7. swing — in golf
  8. court — of a king
  9. pop — to visit
  10. game — a match
  11. pop — music
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. court — for sport
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rule — a law
  16. swing — music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pop — soda
  20. court — of law
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rule — government

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