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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mug — a face
  4. mate — a friend
  5. net — for catching
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. key — for a lock
  11. net — after costs
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pop — to visit
  15. key — the most important part
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chest — a box
  18. mug — to rob
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mate — a partner
  21. key — in music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mate — to breed
  24. foot — the bottom

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