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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. foot — a measure
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ground — crushed
  5. plane — a tool
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bore — to tire
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. row — a line
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bore — to drill
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ground — a position
  18. chip — for betting
  19. ground — the earth
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. chip — to eat

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