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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: bat · lie · nail · chest · firm · rest · sharp · foot

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lie — to recline
  4. chest — of your body
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bat — the animal
  8. foot — a measure
  9. sharp — clever
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. firm — a company
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. chest — a box
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — steady

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