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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pop — to visit
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. file — a document
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pop — soda
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pop — music
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. file — a tool
  16. pitch — completely
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. foot — a measure
  22. mine — for digging
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mine — an explosive

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