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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: nail · foot · toast · chest · field · fine · ruler · stick

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fine — all right
  3. chest — of your body
  4. field — for sport
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. fine — high quality
  10. toast — bread
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. chest — a box
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. foot — a measure
  20. field — farmland
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. field — a subject
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. ruler — for measuring

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