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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. court — of law
  6. drill — army training
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bass — low music
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. tear — to rip
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. foot — a measure
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bass — the fish
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chip — to eat
  24. fan — a supporter

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