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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. last — final
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rash — hasty
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. hand — help
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. last — to go on
  18. face — part of the head
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. last — finally
  22. foot — a measure
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. trunk — of a car

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