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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. foot — a measure
  3. land — to come down
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. tube — a container
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. capital — a city
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. land — a country
  23. ball — a dance
  24. land — ground

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