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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. march — the month
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. kid — child
  8. swing — to play on
  9. march — music
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. court — of law
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. swing — in golf
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. capital — money
  18. march — the month
  19. court — of a king
  20. foot — a measure
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. swing — music
  24. court — for sport

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