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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. firm — decided
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pound — a weight
  5. foot — a measure
  6. firm — steady
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. firm — a company
  11. rash — a series
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. swing — to play on
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. rash — hasty
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wake — a trail

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