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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
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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: spell · foot · craft · date · stem · game · court · dip

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. court — for sport
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. foot — a measure
  6. craft — a skill
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. court — of law
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stem — to come from
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. craft — boats
  13. spell — a short time
  14. game — a match
  15. date — the fruit
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. spell — magic
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. court — of a king
  21. game — wild animals
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. dip — to sink
  24. game — a kind of play

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