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

Word bank: file · chest · foot · arm · squash · pass · stick · face

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. foot — a measure
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. file — a document
  7. pass — a permit
  8. squash — to crush
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. squash — the sport
  15. file — a tool
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. chest — of your body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. squash — the vegetable

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