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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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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. fine — high quality
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fine — all right
  8. last — finally
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. last — final
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. track — a path
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. last — to go on

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