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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · board · firm · bat · foot · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bat — the animal
  3. firm — steady
  4. spell — letters
  5. court — of law
  6. firm — decided
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. spell — a short time
  11. board — a committee
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. board — to get on
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. firm — a company

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