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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · kid · foot · club · mine · rash · trunk · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. kid — child
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. club — for golf
  6. ball — a dance
  7. saw — the tool
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. rash — hasty
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rash — a series
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mine — for digging
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. ball — a great time
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. kid — to tease
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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