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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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Word bank
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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  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. foot — a measure
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bank — of a river
  7. root — of a plant
  8. plane — a tool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cap — a lid
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bank — for money
  16. cap — a hat
  17. root — the cause
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. kid — child
  20. game — wild animals
  21. root — of a word
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bank — for money
  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