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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pop — to visit
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chip — for betting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. rash — hasty
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. season — of the year
  14. chest — a box
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pop — music
  17. kick — in football
  18. rash — a series
  19. pop — soda
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. season — in sport
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. chip — to eat

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