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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. season — of the year
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. key — for a lock
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wound — an injury
  7. foot — a measure
  8. sharp — clever
  9. track — a path
  10. net — for catching
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. net — after costs
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wound — an injury
  15. key — in music
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bear — the animal
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. track — a song
  21. season — in sport
  22. track — to keep track
  23. net — in sport
  24. bear — the animal

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