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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. swing — music
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pound — a weight
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rash — a series
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. land — to come down
  21. foot — a measure
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. swing — in golf
  24. date — the fruit

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