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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. game — wild animals
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pound — a weight
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cap — of ice
  9. game — a match
  10. swing — in golf
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. staff — employees
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wound — an injury
  20. swing — music
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rush — hurry
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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