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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. foot — a measure
  2. land — to come down
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. ball — a dance
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ball — a great time
  12. land — a country
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. staff — employees
  16. drill — a practice
  17. land — ground
  18. file — a document
  19. pass — a permit
  20. drill — army training
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. drill — the tool
  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