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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. object — an aim
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rash — a series
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — to protest
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. chest — a box
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pit — in a race
  13. capital — money
  14. file — a tool
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. capital — a city
  18. rash — hasty
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. file — a document
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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