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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. rest — what's left
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cold — an illness
  5. march — the month
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. land — ground
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. land — a country
  10. kick — in football
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. cold — not warm
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. land — to come down
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. sharp — clever
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rest — what's left
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rest — a break

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