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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. field — farmland
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. squash — the sport
  7. field — for sport
  8. key — in music
  9. hand — help
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. pit — a hole
  12. field — a subject
  13. wax — to grow
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pit — in a race
  17. key — the most important part
  18. hand — in cards
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. squash — to crush

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