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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. rash — on the skin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mine — for digging
  9. net — for catching
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mark — a trace
  16. rash — a series
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. kick — in football
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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