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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. court — of law
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. cap — a lid
  5. court — for sport
  6. clip — to cut
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. court — of a king
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — a measure
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cap — of ice
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. snap — to click
  23. cap — a hat
  24. clip — a video

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