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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. foot — a measure
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. deal — to handle
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cell — a phone
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fine — high quality
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fan — a supporter

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