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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: foot · kick · tear · ground · suit · court · leaves · deal

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. ground — crushed
  8. foot — a measure
  9. deal — to handle
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — clothes
  15. ground — the earth
  16. court — of a king
  17. tear — to rip
  18. ground — a position
  19. kick — in football
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. kick — with a leg

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