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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. foot — a measure
  6. staff — a stick
  7. spring — the season
  8. game — wild animals
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. staff — employees
  13. bore — to drill
  14. staff — employees
  15. bass — low music
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bore — to tire
  19. spring — of water
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. spring — a coil
  24. game — a match

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