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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: march · stem · foot · scale · face · fork · racket · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. face — to point toward
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. scale — size or range
  10. face — part of the head
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. fork — in a road
  14. face — to confront
  15. march — music
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. scale — in music
  18. stem — to come from
  19. court — of law
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. foot — a measure
  24. court — of a king

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