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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: lean · tube · foot · ground · court · fine · rash · coach

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. foot — a measure
  3. court — of law
  4. ground — a position
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fine — all right
  8. rash — a series
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. court — for sport
  13. tube — a container
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lean — thin
  16. court — of a king
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. fine — high quality
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. ground — the earth
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rash — hasty

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