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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. hand — help
  7. ball — a great time
  8. foot — a measure
  9. fall — to drop
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. degree — an amount
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fall — to drop
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bark — to shout
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fall — the season
  24. foot — the bottom

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