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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. last — to go on
  3. chip — for betting
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. foot — a measure
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. net — in sport
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. net — after costs
  13. chip — to eat
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. content — the amount
  16. ground — the earth
  17. content — happy
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. ground — crushed
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pitch — completely
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. net — for catching
  24. ground — a position

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