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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. swing — to play on
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. swing — music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mark — a trace
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chest — a box
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. swing — in golf

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