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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. race — the arms race
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wind — moving air
  12. race — a contest
  13. chair — a leader
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mug — a face
  16. race — humankind
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. dip — to sink
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. march — music

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