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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: straw · file · foot · hand · court · rock · jam · pitch

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. court — for sport
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. court — of law
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. hand — in cards
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. file — a line of people
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. hand — help
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pitch — completely
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. straw — dry grass

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