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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. season — of the year
  4. bat — the animal
  5. charge — a price
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. charge — electricity
  9. degree — from a university
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. court — of a king
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. court — of law
  16. charge — in control
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. court — for sport
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bowl — a football final

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