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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bear — the animal
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. roll — a cake
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bear — the animal
  13. present — there
  14. bat — the animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. present — the time now
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. present — a gift
  19. lean — thin
  20. race — humankind
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. race — a contest
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. nail — for a hammer

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