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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bound — obliged
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. suit — to fit
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — size or range
  15. court — of law
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bound — certain
  19. file — a tool
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bound — tied together
  22. scale — in music
  23. suit — clothes
  24. mouse — the animal

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