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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rush · land · nail · dip · bowl · face · cell

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. face — to point toward
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. cell — a phone
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. land — ground
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cell — in a prison

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