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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. firm — steady
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. firm — decided
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. snap — to click
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. firm — a company
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. spell — letters
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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