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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. perch — the fish
  3. hand — help
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cold — not warm
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. cold — an illness
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wind — moving air
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. hand — in cards
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wind — moving air
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wind — to turn a key

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