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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rash — a series
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. staff — employees
  5. court — of a king
  6. degree — from a university
  7. court — for sport
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. roll — a list
  12. pop — music
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pop — soda
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. roll — a cake
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. rash — hasty
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pop — to visit
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bay — a horse colour

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