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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. foot — a measure
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. kick — in football
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cell — in biology
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. file — a tool
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. court — of law
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. capital — a city
  19. file — a document
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. cell — a phone
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. cell — in a prison

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