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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. chest — a box
  4. fine — all right
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chair — a leader
  8. fine — high quality
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ground — crushed
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ground — a position
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — a measure
  19. scale — in music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ground — the earth
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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