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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. last — finally
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to sink
  6. last — to go on
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rest — what's left
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mine — for digging
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rest — a break
  16. branch — a division
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. foot — a measure
  24. last — final

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