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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. net — in sport
  3. spell — magic
  4. court — of law
  5. pound — a weight
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. net — after costs
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. spell — letters
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitch — completely
  19. court — for sport
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fork — in a road
  22. court — of a king
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. fork — a garden tool

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