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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. spring — of water
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. plane — a tool
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bass — low music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. sharp — clever
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. spring — the season
  24. foot — a measure

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