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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. snap — to click
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. stand — to bear
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bear — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. squash — to crush
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bear — the animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. foot — a measure
  24. squash — the vegetable

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