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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. club — for golf
  4. rest — a break
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pound — a weight
  11. perch — the fish
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rest — what's left
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. foot — a measure
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. field — farmland
  24. pound — to hit hard

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