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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. root — of a plant
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. root — the cause
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. root — of a word
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. march — music
  16. last — finally
  17. fall — to drop
  18. last — to go on
  19. march — the month
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. last — final
  24. foot — part of the body

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