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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. row — a line
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. present — a gift
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. present — the time now
  9. kid — child
  10. ground — crushed
  11. present — there
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bear — the animal
  17. foot — a measure
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. row — to paddle
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ground — a position

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