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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. ground — crushed
  5. hand — help
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pop — music
  8. field — for sport
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wax — to grow
  11. cold — an illness
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. ground — a position
  15. cold — not warm
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. field — farmland
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pop — to visit
  21. foot — a measure
  22. field — a subject
  23. pop — soda
  24. safe — out of danger

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