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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pop — to visit
  3. tear — from crying
  4. content — happy
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pop — soda
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pop — music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bound — certain
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bass — the fish
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. foot — a measure

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