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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. hand — in cards
  4. object — an aim
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lie — to recline
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. object — to protest
  10. spell — a short time
  11. hand — help
  12. bulb — for light
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. content — the amount
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. object — a thing
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spell — magic
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spell — letters

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