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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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 — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pop — to visit
  7. club — for dancing
  8. last — finally
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. net — for catching
  13. kid — to tease
  14. net — after costs
  15. foot — a measure
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. club — a group
  19. net — in sport
  20. club — for golf
  21. last — final
  22. mine — for digging
  23. last — to go on
  24. bowl — a dish

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