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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. cold — not warm
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cold — an illness
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. degree — an amount
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rest — a break
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fork — in a road
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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