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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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Word bank
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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: scale · chest · rash · foot · last · wake · pop · ruler

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pop — soda
  3. last — finally
  4. chest — of your body
  5. last — to go on
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. scale — size or range
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pop — music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rash — a series
  17. pop — to visit
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wake — a trail
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. scale — in music
  23. last — final
  24. rash — on the skin

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