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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. hand — in cards
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. game — wild animals
  9. hand — help
  10. game — a match
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pitch — completely
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wave — with your hand

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