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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. game — a match
  3. mine — for digging
  4. foot — a measure
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chest — of your body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. root — the cause
  9. chest — of your body
  10. root — of a plant
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pop — music
  13. chest — a box
  14. root — of a word
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. club — for golf
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. club — a group
  24. nail — for a hammer

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