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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. craft — boats
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. face — part of the head
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. face — to point toward
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. face — to confront
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bat — the animal
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pound — a weight
  23. degree — temperature
  24. foot — a measure

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