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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. net — in sport
  4. chest — a box
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. rush — hurry
  7. chest — of your body
  8. tear — to rip
  9. roll — a list
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. club — a group
  13. foot — a measure
  14. club — for golf
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chest — of your body
  17. net — after costs
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. tear — from crying
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. net — for catching

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