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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
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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 · mine · pitcher · rule · court · row · pound · pop

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pound — a weight
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pop — soda
  11. rule — government
  12. court — of law
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. court — of a king
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pop — music
  22. row — a line
  23. court — for sport
  24. rule — a 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