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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 120 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. foot — a measure
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bank — for money
  5. last — to go on
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. field — farmland
  10. rash — hasty
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bank — for money
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bank — of a river
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. rush — hurry

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