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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: rush · can · ground · cap · court · object · chest · foot

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. court — of law
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cap — a lid
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. can — to be able to
  9. foot — a measure
  10. court — of a king
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. object — a thing
  16. can — a tin
  17. rush — hurry
  18. can — a tin
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. chest — a box
  23. court — for sport
  24. foot — part of the body

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