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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: cabinet · clip · fine · foot · fan · content · lean · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. court — of law
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. clip — to cut
  7. court — of a king
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. clip — a video
  12. fine — high quality
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fine — all right
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. lean — thin
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. lean — to bend

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