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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. pit — a hole
  7. ball — a great time
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. content — happy
  11. board — to get on
  12. foot — a measure
  13. deal — to handle
  14. board — a committee
  15. content — the amount
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pit — in a race
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wax — to grow
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. content — videos and posts

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