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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: foot · deal · staff · sharp · land · roll · pound · racket

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. staff — employees
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. land — a country
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. land — ground
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pound — a weight
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. land — to come down
  16. staff — employees
  17. foot — a measure
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. sharp — clever
  23. deal — to handle
  24. roll — a cake

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