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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. hand — help
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. scale — in music
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. sharp — clever
  14. scale — size or range
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. vault — a safe
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. shower — rain
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. foot — the bottom

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