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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — to play on
  7. land — ground
  8. race — the arms race
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. kid — to tease
  11. race — a contest
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. race — humankind
  16. land — a country
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. land — to come down
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. kid — child
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. chair — a leader

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