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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. band — a ring
  3. rest — what's left
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rest — a break
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. ground — crushed
  8. foot — a measure
  9. march — music
  10. squash — the sport
  11. band — a music group
  12. march — the month
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lean — to bend
  16. rest — what's left
  17. squash — to crush
  18. lean — thin
  19. march — the month
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. ground — a position

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