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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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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. last — finally
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. root — the cause
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. last — final
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. last — to go on
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wound — an injury

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