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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. march — the month
  3. hand — help
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. net — for catching
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bass — low music
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bass — the fish
  11. season — in sport
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. net — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. hand — in cards
  16. march — the month
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wax — to grow
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. march — music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. net — after costs

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