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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 · jam · bat · bore · game · last · key · court

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. court — of a king
  4. bat — the animal
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. key — the most important part
  8. last — finally
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. last — to go on
  11. game — a match
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. key — in music
  16. last — final
  17. foot — a measure
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. court — for sport
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. key — for a lock
  24. court — of law

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