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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. rest — what's left
  5. roll — a cake
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chest — a box
  10. hand — in cards
  11. present — there
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rest — what's left
  15. craft — boats
  16. chest — of your body
  17. craft — a skill
  18. present — the time now
  19. rest — a break
  20. present — a gift
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chest — of your body
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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