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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. season — in sport
  3. chest — a box
  4. race — a contest
  5. cell — in biology
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. file — a tool
  8. mug — a cup
  9. file — a document
  10. mug — to rob
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mug — a face
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. race — the arms race
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. foot — a measure
  17. chest — of your body
  18. season — of the year
  19. file — a line of people
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. race — humankind

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