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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. present — a gift
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. plane — a tool
  17. present — there
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. present — the time now
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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