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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. bank — of a river
  4. row — a line
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. net — for catching
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. net — after costs
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. net — in sport
  16. row — to paddle
  17. sharp — clever
  18. foot — a measure
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bank — for money
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bank — for money
  24. root — of a word

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