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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mine — for digging
  4. staff — employees
  5. last — final
  6. object — an aim
  7. last — finally
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. last — to go on
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. hand — help
  14. object — a thing
  15. staff — employees
  16. charge — a price
  17. staff — a stick
  18. hand — in cards
  19. object — to protest
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — in control
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — part of the body

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