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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. ground — the earth
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bat — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. ground — a position
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bark — to shout
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. fine — all right

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