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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. last — finally
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stand — to bear
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. last — to go on
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pop — soda
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mine — for digging
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pop — music
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. game — a match
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pop — to visit
  23. last — final
  24. mine — belonging to me

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