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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. firm — decided
  5. chest — a box
  6. rash — a series
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rash — hasty
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. file — a tool
  11. foot — a measure
  12. file — a line of people
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chest — of your body
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spell — magic
  23. file — a document
  24. nail — on a finger

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