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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cap — a lid
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. season — of the year
  6. foot — a measure
  7. lean — thin
  8. cap — a hat
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cap — of ice
  13. shower — rain
  14. lean — to bend
  15. season — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lean — to rest against

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