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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. court — of a king
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. court — of law
  7. foot — a measure
  8. field — for sport
  9. rest — a break
  10. field — a subject
  11. club — a group
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mate — a friend
  14. court — for sport
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rest — what's left
  17. club — for golf
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. scale — in music
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. club — for dancing
  24. field — farmland

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