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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. board — to get on
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. cell — in biology
  8. track — a path
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. firm — steady
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. track — to keep track
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cell — a phone
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. firm — a company
  17. track — a song
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. firm — decided
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. fork — in a road
  23. board — a committee
  24. cell — in a prison

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