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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. content — the amount
  3. land — ground
  4. foot — a measure
  5. land — a country
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. land — to come down
  9. board — to get on
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. board — a committee
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. scale — size or range
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. file — a line of people
  17. content — happy
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. file — a document
  23. scale — in music
  24. file — a tool

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