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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chest — a box
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. foot — a measure
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. current — electric
  10. chest — of your body
  11. last — final
  12. current — happening now
  13. chest — of your body
  14. march — the month
  15. last — finally
  16. march — the month
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. current — of water
  21. last — to go on
  22. rest — a break
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. march — music

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