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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. ground — the earth
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. ground — a position
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fall — the season
  14. chip — for betting
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fall — to drop
  18. last — finally
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cell — in biology
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cell — a phone
  24. foot — a measure

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