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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: last · mate · object · foot · straw · chest · file · club

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. last — final
  3. mate — a partner
  4. object — to protest
  5. file — a document
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mate — to breed
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. file — a tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. object — an aim
  18. mate — a friend
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. foot — a measure
  22. chest — a box
  23. file — a line of people
  24. foot — part of the body

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