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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 120 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. ground — the earth
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pop — soda
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ground — a position
  12. chest — of your body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pop — music
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. chest — a box
  18. court — of law
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. court — for sport

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