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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. drill — a practice
  3. spell — letters
  4. drill — the tool
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. foot — a measure
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. capital — money
  17. root — of a plant
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. drill — army training
  22. pitch — completely
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — the cause

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