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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. can — a tin
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. can — to be able to
  9. game — a match
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wax — to grow
  14. can — a tin
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. foot — a measure
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash

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