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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. present — there
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. rest — a break
  4. face — to confront
  5. foot — a measure
  6. rest — what's left
  7. present — a gift
  8. chest — of your body
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. saw — the tool
  12. face — to point toward
  13. present — the time now
  14. chest — of your body
  15. face — part of the head
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chest — a box
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rest — what's left
  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