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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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 — part of the body
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — a path
  4. court — of a king
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. court — of law
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. deal — to handle
  11. court — for sport
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. track — a song
  14. staff — a stick
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. staff — employees
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. foot — a measure
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  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