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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. field — farmland
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. sharp — clever
  6. band — a music group
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cell — a phone
  9. lie — to recline
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cell — in biology
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. field — for sport
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. field — a subject
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. band — a ring

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