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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pound — a weight
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. net — after costs
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. foot — a measure
  13. chest — of your body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. net — for catching
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. chest — a box
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. net — in sport
  21. sharp — clever
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. saw — the tool
  24. racket — for tennis

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