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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. kick — in football
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rest — a break
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. scale — in music
  9. root — the cause
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. root — of a plant
  12. sharp — clever
  13. root — of a word
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rest — what's left
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. scale — size or range
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. ground — crushed

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