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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bear — the animal
  4. file — a line of people
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. file — a document
  8. stand — to bear
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. roll — a list
  12. file — a tool
  13. squash — the sport
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. net — in sport
  16. cold — not warm
  17. net — after costs
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bear — the animal
  24. net — for catching

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