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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mark — a grade
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. ground — a position
  11. land — ground
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wax — to grow
  14. land — to come down
  15. dip — to sink
  16. ground — the earth
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. row — a line
  21. land — a country
  22. mark — a trace
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wax — for sculpting

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