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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. present — a gift
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. row — to paddle
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. root — of a word
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. root — the cause
  16. bark — to shout
  17. ground — a position
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. present — there
  24. present — the time now

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