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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. game — a match
  3. charge — electricity
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. last — final
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. last — to go on
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. last — finally
  10. game — wild animals
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lie — to recline
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. charge — a price
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. charge — in control
  23. net — in sport
  24. sharp — clever

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