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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. march — music
  4. spell — letters
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. spell — a short time
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. spell — magic
  9. key — in music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. current — happening now
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. current — electric
  17. march — the month
  18. current — of water
  19. march — the month
  20. face — to confront
  21. foot — a measure
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. face — to point toward

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