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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. court — for sport
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. court — of law
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. court — of a king
  21. capital — money
  22. drill — a practice
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. racket — for tennis

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