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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. file — a document
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rule — government
  6. chest — a box
  7. rule — a law
  8. foot — a measure
  9. land — a country
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. land — ground
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. file — a tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. last — finally
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. last — final
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mine — for digging
  21. land — to come down
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. file — a line of people
  24. last — to go on

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