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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. face — to confront
  6. key — for a lock
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. saw — the tool
  10. key — in music
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. last — finally
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. saw — the tool
  17. last — to go on
  18. foot — a measure
  19. face — to point toward
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. key — the most important part
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. arm — part of the body

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