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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. foot — a measure
  5. net — after costs
  6. season — of the year
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. court — of a king
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. court — of law
  17. cell — in biology
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. degree — temperature
  20. season — in sport
  21. degree — from a university
  22. court — for sport
  23. mark — a grade
  24. chair — a leader

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