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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. march — the month
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. land — ground
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. chip — for betting
  9. march — the month
  10. saw — the tool
  11. roll — a list
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chip — to eat
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. sharp — clever
  16. saw — the tool
  17. march — music
  18. land — a country
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. land — to come down
  24. branch — a division

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