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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. court — of a king
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. court — of law
  5. capital — a city
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. foot — a measure
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. capital — money
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ground — a position
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. court — for sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. snap — to click
  24. squash — the sport

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