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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: court · club · foot · capital · sharp · saw · bowl · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. club — for dancing
  3. court — of law
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. court — of a king
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. club — a group
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. foot — a measure
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. court — for sport
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. club — for golf
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. sharp — clever
  24. capital — money

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