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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. row — to paddle
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. kid — to tease
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. foot — a measure
  13. row — a line
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. saw — the tool
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. land — ground
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. roll — a list
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. roll — a cake
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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