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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. foot — a measure
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. clip — for paper
  7. court — of law
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mark — a grade
  11. sharp — clever
  12. swing — music
  13. clip — a video
  14. swing — to play on
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. swing — in golf
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mark — a trace
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. court — of a king
  24. rush — hurry

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