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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. hand — help
  3. firm — decided
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. foot — a measure
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. firm — a company
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. drill — army training
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hand — in cards
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. firm — steady
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. present — there

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