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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: foot · last · ground · cap · track · cabinet · chest · rush

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. last — finally
  4. cap — a lid
  5. last — final
  6. rush — hurry
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. ground — crushed
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cap — of ice
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. ground — a position
  13. last — to go on
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. track — a path
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. chest — of your body
  20. track — a song
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cap — a hat
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ground — the earth

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