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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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. rash — hasty
  4. drill — army training
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. drill — the tool
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rash — a series
  11. snap — to click
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bass — low music
  14. face — to confront
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bank — for money
  17. drill — a practice
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. face — part of the head
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bank — for money
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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