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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · court · jam · toast · row · kid · game · foot

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. kid — child
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. toast — bread
  5. spell — a short time
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. game — a match
  8. spell — magic
  9. row — to paddle
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. court — of law
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. kid — to tease
  14. spell — letters
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. foot — a measure
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. court — of a king
  20. game — wild animals
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. court — for sport
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. row — a line

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