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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. mate — a partner
  3. court — for sport
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. present — there
  6. mate — to breed
  7. present — a gift
  8. cold — an illness
  9. present — the time now
  10. bank — for money
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mate — a friend
  14. court — of law
  15. dip — to sink
  16. foot — a measure
  17. hand — help
  18. bank — for money
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. court — of a king
  24. hand — in cards

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