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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mug — a face
  5. object — a thing
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. court — of a king
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cell — a phone
  13. object — an aim
  14. foot — a measure
  15. object — to protest
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. land — ground
  18. stand — to bear
  19. mug — to rob
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mug — a cup

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