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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. last — to go on
  3. firm — decided
  4. court — for sport
  5. drill — army training
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. drill — the tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. branch — a division
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — steady
  14. foot — a measure
  15. last — final
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. last — finally
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. drill — a practice
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. chest — of your body

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