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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. track — a path
  4. lean — thin
  5. season — of the year
  6. foot — a measure
  7. season — in sport
  8. root — the cause
  9. suit — to fit
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mine — for digging
  12. lean — to bend
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — clothes
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. track — a song
  18. root — of a word
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. root — of a plant
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. sharp — clever

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