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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. spring — the season
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. clip — for paper
  9. object — to protest
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. clip — a video
  13. spring — a coil
  14. sharp — clever
  15. spring — of water
  16. ground — a position
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. object — a thing
  23. clip — to cut
  24. object — an aim

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