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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. object — a thing
  3. clip — for paper
  4. staff — a stick
  5. ground — crushed
  6. club — for golf
  7. pound — a weight
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. clip — a video
  18. club — a group
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. ground — a position
  22. staff — employees
  23. club — for dancing
  24. ground — the earth

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