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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. bulb — for light
  3. object — to protest
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. object — an aim
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. court — of a king
  13. wound — an injury
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bulb — for light
  18. toast — bread
  19. object — a thing
  20. wound — an injury
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  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