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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. file — a tool
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. content — the amount
  9. foot — a measure
  10. last — to go on
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. last — finally
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. can — to be able to
  18. file — a line of people
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. content — happy
  24. file — a document

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