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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. foot — a measure
  6. file — a tool
  7. bore — to tire
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bore — to drill
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. file — a document
  20. degree — an amount
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wave — with your hand

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