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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. rest — a break
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bat — the animal
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. file — a tool
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. drill — the tool
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. vault — a safe
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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