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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. sharp — clever
  3. capital — a city
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. roll — a list
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — a measure
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. roll — a cake
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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