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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. land — to come down
  3. mate — to breed
  4. land — ground
  5. foot — a measure
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. key — the most important part
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bear — the animal
  12. march — music
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bear — the animal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mate — a partner
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. land — a country
  22. key — in music
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. foot — the bottom

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