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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: court · board · firm · bat · foot · spell · cap · tear

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. spell — magic
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bat — the animal
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cap — a lid
  9. spell — letters
  10. court — of law
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spell — a short time
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. firm — steady
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. firm — a company
  18. board — a committee
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. board — to get on
  21. foot — a measure
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cap — of ice
  24. firm — decided

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