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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. march — the month
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bass — the fish
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bass — low music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. staff — employees
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. staff — employees
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. march — the month
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. march — music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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