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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chest — of your body
  4. drill — a practice
  5. pop — music
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. fine — all right
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pop — to visit
  11. saw — the tool
  12. foot — a measure
  13. chest — a box
  14. drill — army training
  15. chest — of your body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fine — high quality
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pop — soda
  23. file — a tool
  24. drill — the tool

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