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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rest — a break
  5. object — a thing
  6. rest — what's left
  7. object — an aim
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. object — to protest
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. mark — a trace
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rest — what's left
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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