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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. saw — the tool
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. wind — moving air
  8. saw — the tool
  9. degree — an amount
  10. foot — a measure
  11. land — to come down
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. degree — from a university
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. land — a country
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. row — a line
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. degree — temperature
  23. row — to paddle
  24. land — ground

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