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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. foot — a measure
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. saw — the tool
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. lean — to bend
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. chair — a leader
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lean — thin
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. foot — 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