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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. sharp — clever
  5. drill — the tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. drill — army training
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. fine — high quality
  12. net — after costs
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. net — for catching
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. file — a document
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. drill — a practice
  22. file — a tool
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. fine — all right

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