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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. hand — help
  16. chest — a box
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. capital — a city
  19. foot — a measure
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. capital — money
  23. hand — in cards
  24. nail — for a hammer

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