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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. court — for sport
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rush — hurry
  18. clip — a video
  19. court — of a king
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. court — of law
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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