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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. mug — a face
  4. court — for sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. court — of a king
  8. chest — of your body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. land — ground
  11. foot — a measure
  12. chest — a box
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mug — to rob
  16. land — to come down
  17. scale — in music
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bear — the animal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. court — of law
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pound — to hit hard

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