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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. mine — for digging
  3. kid — child
  4. craft — boats
  5. track — a path
  6. kid — to tease
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. track — to keep track
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — a song

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