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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. fine — all right
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. staff — employees
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bound — tied together
  8. scale — in music
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pit — a hole
  14. shower — rain
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pit — in a race
  18. deal — to handle
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bound — obliged
  21. staff — employees
  22. scale — size or range
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bound — certain

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