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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rush — hurry
  4. squash — the sport
  5. foot — a measure
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. court — for sport
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. last — to go on
  10. track — a song
  11. court — of a king
  12. squash — to crush
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. last — final
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. track — to keep track
  21. lean — thin
  22. last — finally
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. track — a path

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