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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: foot · rest · ground · chest · jam · sharp · bowl · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. ground — the earth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. scale — in music
  6. sharp — clever
  7. ground — a position
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rest — a break
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. chest — a box
  20. ground — crushed
  21. foot — a measure
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rest — what's left
  24. jam — a tight spot

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