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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. band — a music group
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. band — a ring
  6. toast — bread
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mate — a partner
  10. plane — a tool
  11. foot — a measure
  12. track — a song
  13. mate — to breed
  14. track — a path
  15. kid — to tease
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. kid — child
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. court — for sport
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. track — to keep track
  22. court — of a king
  23. mate — a friend
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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