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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. court — of law
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. file — a document
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. pop — soda
  10. court — for sport
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — music
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rash — a series
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. season — in sport
  21. file — a tool
  22. rash — hasty
  23. foot — a measure
  24. hand — help

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