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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. present — the time now
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lie — to recline
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. file — a document
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. present — there
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. file — a line of people
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. file — a tool
  24. present — a gift

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