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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. foot — a measure
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. last — to go on
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. suit — to fit
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. root — of a word
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kick — in football
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. suit — clothes
  17. root — the cause
  18. last — final
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fall — to drop
  21. suit — in cards
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. root — of a plant

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