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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pop — soda
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. track — a path
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. rest — a break
  13. cue — a signal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. fine — high quality
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fine — all right
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cue — for pool
  22. foot — a measure
  23. track — a song
  24. foot — the bottom

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