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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. scale — size or range
  4. foot — a measure
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. hand — help
  8. scale — in music
  9. firm — steady
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. toast — bread
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chip — for betting
  15. firm — decided
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spell — magic
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. chip — to eat
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. toast — the most admired

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