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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. capital — money
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — a grade
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. tube — a container
  14. capital — a city
  15. court — of law
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. court — of a king
  18. row — to paddle
  19. court — for sport
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. row — a line
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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