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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. rule — a law
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hand — help
  13. mine — for digging
  14. scale — in music
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rule — government
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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