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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. mine — for digging
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bank — for money
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. content — happy
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. dip — to sink
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. shower — to wash
  13. vault — a safe
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bank — of a river
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. kick — in football
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bank — for money
  21. shower — rain
  22. content — the amount
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

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