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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. track — to keep track
  3. season — in sport
  4. foot — a measure
  5. track — a path
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. present — there
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wax — to grow
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. present — the time now
  17. season — of the year
  18. track — a song
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pound — a weight
  21. present — a gift
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. deal — to handle
  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