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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. sharp — clever
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. content — the amount
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. hand — help
  11. plane — a tool
  12. branch — a division
  13. hand — in cards
  14. content — happy
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. hand — part of the body

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