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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. rash — a series
  4. present — the time now
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. court — for sport
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. present — a gift
  9. game — a match
  10. court — of a king
  11. fine — high quality
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. prune — to trim
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. present — there
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. court — of law
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fine — all right

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