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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: foot · court · tear · temple · rush · fine · pitch · sharp

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. tear — to rip
  3. court — of a king
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. court — for sport
  6. foot — a measure
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitch — completely
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fine — all right
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fine — high quality
  17. rush — hurry
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. tear — from crying
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. sharp — clever
  22. court — of law
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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