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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: foot · tear · toast · sharp · row · fork · court · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. face — to confront
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. row — a line
  4. court — for sport
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. court — of a king
  7. face — to point toward
  8. foot — a measure
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. row — to paddle
  12. sharp — clever
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. tear — to rip
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. face — part of the head
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. fork — in a road
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. toast — bread
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. tear — from crying
  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