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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bat — the animal
  4. firm — decided
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. net — after costs
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. game — a match
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. net — for catching
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. firm — steady
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. firm — a company
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. net — in sport
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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