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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pound — a weight
  5. mug — a face
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mug — to rob
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chest — of your body
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. key — in music
  16. chest — a box
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mug — a cup
  19. key — the most important part
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. chest — of your body
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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