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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bound — certain
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bound — tied together
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. spring — a coil
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spring — of water
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bound — obliged
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. spring — the season
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stem — a stem cell

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