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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. ground — a position
  3. game — wild animals
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. tube — a container
  6. capital — money
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. tube — the underground
  10. ground — the earth
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ground — crushed
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. game — a match
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chip — for betting
  20. capital — a city
  21. chip — to eat
  22. dip — to sink
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. tube — in a tire

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