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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. sharp — clever
  4. foot — a measure
  5. spring — the season
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. spring — a coil
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. court — of law
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. chip — for betting
  14. game — wild animals
  15. date — the fruit
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. spring — of water
  18. tube — a container
  19. chip — to eat
  20. court — of a king
  21. game — a match
  22. court — for sport
  23. tube — the underground
  24. sharp — with an edge

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