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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. kid — to tease
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. present — there
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. land — ground
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. land — to come down
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. land — a country
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wake — a trail
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. kid — child
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. present — a gift
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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