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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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. cabinet — ministers
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pop — music
  6. foot — a measure
  7. land — a country
  8. mate — to breed
  9. land — ground
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bat — the animal
  16. land — to come down
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. spring — the season
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. pound — a weight

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