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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 120 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: arm · tear · rule · court · mouse · sharp · cap · foot

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rule — a law
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. cap — of ice
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. foot — a measure
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rule — government
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. tear — from crying
  23. court — of law
  24. cap — a hat

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