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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. court — for sport
  3. band — a music group
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. band — a ring
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. kid — to tease
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pound — a weight
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cap — of ice
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cap — a hat
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. kid — child
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pound — for dogs

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