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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rash — a series
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. hand — help
  6. lean — thin
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. tube — a container
  11. foot — a measure
  12. cap — a hat
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cap — a lid
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rash — hasty
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. field — for sport
  23. hand — in cards
  24. foot — the bottom

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