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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rest — a break
  7. pit — a hole
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pit — in a race
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. foot — a measure
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. lean — to bend
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. toast — bread
  20. chest — a box
  21. rest — what's left
  22. shower — rain
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. lean — thin

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