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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. drill — army training
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. drill — a practice
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. drill — the tool
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. plane — a tool
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. mug — to rob
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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