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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 120 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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. ball — a dance
  3. object — to protest
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. object — a thing
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cold — an illness
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. object — an aim
  17. ball — a great time
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. foot — a measure

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