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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hand — in cards
  5. track — a song
  6. swing — music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. swing — to play on
  11. track — to keep track
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. roll — a cake
  14. court — of a king
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. court — for sport
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. swing — in golf
  20. foot — a measure
  21. hand — help
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. track — a path
  24. court — of law

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