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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. drill — the tool
  3. content — happy
  4. capital — a city
  5. last — to go on
  6. current — happening now
  7. drill — a practice
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. last — final
  10. capital — money
  11. scale — in music
  12. current — of water
  13. drill — army training
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. foot — a measure
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. last — finally
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. current — electric
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. content — the amount
  24. scale — size or range

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