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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. court — of a king
  3. last — finally
  4. saw — the tool
  5. last — final
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. court — for sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. key — in music
  11. mug — a face
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. key — for a lock
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mug — a cup
  16. key — the most important part
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. can — to be able to
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. can — a tin
  22. court — of law
  23. last — to go on
  24. foot — the bottom

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