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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.

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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 · pop · chest · ruler · hand · cabinet · rest · cold

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chest — of your body
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pop — to visit
  9. cold — not warm
  10. hand — help
  11. chest — a box
  12. rest — a break
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. pop — soda
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pop — music
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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