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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lie — to recline
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rush — hurry
  7. content — happy
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. season — of the year
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. season — in sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bear — the animal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. scale — size or range
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. scale — in music
  24. content — the amount

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