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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at 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. season — of the year
  3. march — the month
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. chip — to eat
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. march — music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. season — in sport
  13. plane — a tool
  14. chip — for betting
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. foot — a measure
  18. branch — a division
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. march — the month
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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