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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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. court — of law
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. rash — a series
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. court — for sport
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pit — in a race
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. court — of a king
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pit — a hole

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