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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. shower — to wash
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bank — for money
  5. field — a subject
  6. bank — for money
  7. foot — a measure
  8. swing — music
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. field — for sport
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bank — of a river
  14. field — farmland
  15. court — for sport
  16. chip — for betting
  17. court — of law
  18. pound — a weight
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. chip — to eat
  22. shower — rain
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. swing — in golf

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