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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.

Make a worksheet

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: toast · court · march · date · foot · nail

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. court — for sport
  3. march — the month
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. court — of law
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. march — music
  14. date — the fruit
  15. toast — bread
  16. court — of a king
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. toast — the most admired

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