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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. face — to point toward
  3. court — of a king
  4. face — to confront
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. field — a subject
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mark — a grade
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. field — for sport
  19. mark — a trace
  20. face — part of the head
  21. field — farmland
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cell — in biology
  24. foot — a measure

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