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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. foot — a measure
  8. club — for golf
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. bark — to shout
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mark — a trace
  14. staff — employees
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. club — a group
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. chest — a box
  23. club — for dancing
  24. kid — child

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