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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. spring — of water
  3. fall — the season
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chest — a box
  8. bat — the animal
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. key — in music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. foot — a measure
  16. spring — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pound — a weight
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pound — to hit hard

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