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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: foot · arm · toast · wax · hand · court · pop · sharp

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pop — to visit
  5. toast — bread
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. hand — help
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. hand — in cards
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. foot — a measure
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pop — soda
  17. court — of law
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pop — music

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