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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. chest — of your body
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. mark — a grade
  8. chest — a box
  9. firm — steady
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. chest — of your body
  13. drill — a practice
  14. last — final
  15. drill — army training
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mark — a trace
  19. firm — a company
  20. drill — the tool
  21. press — to push
  22. firm — decided
  23. last — to go on
  24. foot — a measure

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