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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cap — of ice
  6. land — ground
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. cap — a lid
  9. court — for sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chip — to eat
  12. land — a country
  13. court — of law
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bat — the animal
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. court — of a king
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. land — to come down
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cap — a hat
  24. saw — the tool

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