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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. cell — in biology
  3. court — of a king
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. deal — to handle
  6. lean — thin
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. court — of law
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. hand — help
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. foot — a measure
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cell — a phone
  22. court — for sport
  23. hand — in cards
  24. foot — part of the body

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