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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. ground — a position
  3. charge — a price
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. club — for golf
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. club — a group
  10. charge — in control
  11. march — music
  12. mine — for digging
  13. club — for dancing
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. foot — a measure
  19. charge — electricity
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. ground — the earth

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