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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. trunk — of a car
  3. file — a line of people
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bark — to shout
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mark — a trace
  19. net — in sport
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mark — a grade
  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