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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. vault — a safe
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. march — the month
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. march — music
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rest — a break
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bat — the animal
  15. row — a line
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. march — the month
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rest — what's left
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. row — a quarrel

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