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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. chest — of your body
  4. kick — in football
  5. foot — a measure
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. chest — a box
  9. roll — a list
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. roll — a cake
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pound — a weight
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mate — to breed
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rest — a break
  24. roll — on a roll

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