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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: race · lean · lie · rest · foot · game · file · nail

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. lean — to bend
  6. game — a match
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. file — a document
  12. game — wild animals
  13. race — a contest
  14. rest — what's left
  15. foot — a measure
  16. lie — to recline
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. file — a line of people
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rest — a break
  24. file — a tool

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