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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · mate · court · foot · game · fork · sharp · chest

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. spring — of water
  3. chest — of your body
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mate — a partner
  6. game — a match
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fork — in a road
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. court — for sport
  11. spring — the season
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. foot — a measure
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mate — a friend
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mate — to breed
  20. court — of a king
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spring — a coil
  23. court — of law
  24. chest — a box

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