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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. net — after costs
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mate — to breed
  7. net — in sport
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bark — to shout
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. board — a committee
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. board — to get on
  16. kick — in football
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. foot — a measure
  19. scale — size or range
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. net — for catching
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. mate — a friend

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