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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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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. content — happy
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. content — the amount
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. rock — music
  17. mark — a grade
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. row — a line
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. sharp — clever
  24. scale — in music

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