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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. ground — a position
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cue — a hint
  7. court — of a king
  8. can — a tin
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. court — for sport
  13. fine — high quality
  14. cue — a signal
  15. fine — all right
  16. ground — crushed
  17. court — of law
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cue — for pool
  20. ground — the earth
  21. can — a tin
  22. season — in sport
  23. cap — of ice
  24. foot — part of the body

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