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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bat — the animal
  5. land — a country
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. land — to come down
  8. saw — the tool
  9. key — in music
  10. pop — music
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. land — ground
  15. key — for a lock
  16. foot — a measure
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. key — the most important part
  24. pop — soda

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