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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. last — to go on
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. last — finally
  11. season — in sport
  12. tube — the underground
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mug — a cup
  16. tube — a container
  17. rest — a break
  18. last — final
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — of the year
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mug — a face

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