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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spell — a short time
  5. charge — a price
  6. chest — of your body
  7. charge — in control
  8. drill — army training
  9. charge — electricity
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. net — in sport
  14. chest — a box
  15. drill — a practice
  16. chest — of your body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spell — magic
  20. drill — the tool
  21. net — for catching
  22. spell — letters
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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