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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. snap — to click
  15. bat — the animal
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. rest — what's left
  21. charge — in control
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rest — a break

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