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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · foot · saw · lean · temple · pitcher · arm · cold

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. foot — a measure
  6. lean — thin
  7. file — a tool
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. file — a line of people
  11. lean — to bend
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cold — not warm
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. file — a document
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. saw — the tool
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pitcher — a jug

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