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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. kid — child
  6. saw — the tool
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rule — a law
  10. bass — low music
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. spring — a coil
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — the season
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bass — the fish
  19. spring — of water
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rule — government
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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