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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. field — a subject
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. field — farmland
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bass — the fish
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bass — low music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. field — for sport
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. lie — an untruth

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