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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. court — of law
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. court — for sport
  11. track — a song
  12. cell — in biology
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. chest — of your body
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. chest — a box
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. dip — to sink

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