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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. swing — to play on
  3. chest — a box
  4. mug — a face
  5. foot — a measure
  6. last — finally
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. tube — a container
  10. chest — of your body
  11. swing — music
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. court — for sport
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. chest — of your body
  16. tube — the underground
  17. last — final
  18. court — of a king
  19. mug — to rob
  20. swing — in golf
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mug — a cup
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. last — to go on

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