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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. net — in sport
  5. firm — a company
  6. foot — a measure
  7. net — for catching
  8. firm — decided
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. squash — to crush
  14. firm — steady
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. net — after costs
  17. bark — to shout
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. squash — the sport
  21. scale — in music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. squash — the vegetable

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