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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mine — for digging
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. saw — the tool
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. deal — to handle
  24. kid — to tease

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