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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. game — wild animals
  4. ground — crushed
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rash — hasty
  7. game — a match
  8. mug — a face
  9. ground — a position
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. dip — to sink
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rash — a series
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. ground — the earth
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pound — a weight
  24. mug — a cup

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