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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. lean — thin
  4. land — ground
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lean — to bend
  8. land — a country
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. spell — a short time
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. spell — letters
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. land — to come down
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. foot — a measure
  17. rest — a break
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. spell — magic

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