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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. cap — a lid
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. drill — the tool
  7. cap — of ice
  8. spell — a short time
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. staff — employees
  11. spell — magic
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. cap — a hat
  17. drill — a practice
  18. sharp — clever
  19. staff — employees
  20. drill — army training
  21. foot — a measure
  22. staff — a stick
  23. spell — letters
  24. foot — the bottom

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