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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. deal — to handle
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. court — for sport
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. court — of a king
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. court — of law
  13. staff — employees
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wake — a trail
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pop — soda
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. staff — employees
  24. pop — music

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