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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. roll — a cake
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. race — the arms race
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. race — humankind
  16. roll — a list
  17. race — a contest
  18. cold — not warm
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pound — a weight
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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