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

Word bank: firm · nail · court · track · foot · swing · bulb · deal

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. foot — a measure
  3. firm — a company
  4. bulb — for light
  5. firm — decided
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. swing — to play on
  10. track — to keep track
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. court — of a king
  15. firm — steady
  16. track — a path
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. swing — in golf
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. track — a song
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. swing — music

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