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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 120 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: court · suit · saw · leaves · face · foot · ball · wound

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. saw — the tool
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wound — an injury
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ball — a dance
  11. court — for sport
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. face — to point toward
  17. foot — a measure
  18. face — part of the head
  19. court — of law
  20. suit — clothes
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. face — to confront
  24. ball — a great time

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