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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. rest — a break
  4. foot — a measure
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. land — ground
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cell — in biology
  14. court — of law
  15. tear — to rip
  16. land — to come down
  17. rest — what's left
  18. tear — from crying
  19. land — a country
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. rest — what's left
  22. court — for sport
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. foot — part of the body

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