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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. ground — the earth
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. foot — a measure
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. land — ground
  11. bass — low music
  12. net — in sport
  13. ground — a position
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — after costs
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wind — moving air
  20. land — a country
  21. wind — moving air
  22. net — for catching
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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