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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. game — wild animals
  10. present — the time now
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. game — a match
  14. court — of a king
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. march — the month
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. march — music
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bowl — a football final

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