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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. dip — to sink
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. chest — a box
  5. net — after costs
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. chest — of your body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. prune — to trim
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. foot — a measure
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. net — in sport
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wound — an injury
  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