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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · ground · mug · last · present · hand · foot · bulb

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. ground — a position
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. present — there
  8. last — finally
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. ground — the earth
  11. hand — help
  12. foot — a measure
  13. present — the time now
  14. bulb — for light
  15. last — final
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. hand — in cards
  21. last — to go on
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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