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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rule — government
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. rule — a law
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wind — moving air
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. track — a song
  21. wind — moving air
  22. track — a path
  23. capital — money
  24. arm — part of the body

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