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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. foot — a measure
  11. prune — to trim
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. squash — to crush
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. squash — the sport
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. prune — to trim
  21. court — of a king
  22. chest — a box
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. chest — of your body

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