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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. foot — a measure
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cell — a phone
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. ground — crushed
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. land — a country
  23. cell — in biology
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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