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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: tear · squash · calf · foot · sharp · fine · pop · court

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. court — of law
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. court — of a king
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. tear — from crying
  7. squash — to crush
  8. tear — to rip
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pop — music
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. sharp — clever
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fine — high quality
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fine — all right
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pop — soda
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. court — for sport

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