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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bound — certain
  3. foot — a measure
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. net — in sport
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cap — a hat
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bound — tied together
  12. net — for catching
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wound — an injury
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. net — after costs
  23. date — the fruit
  24. wake — before a funeral

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