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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. court — of law
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. court — for sport
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. face — part of the head
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. court — of a king
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. face — to point toward
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — to confront
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. foot — a measure
  24. jam — in traffic

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