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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. object — to protest
  3. chip — to eat
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. object — an aim
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. net — for catching
  12. chip — for betting
  13. lean — to bend
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. lean — thin
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. object — a thing
  24. craft — boats

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