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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. last — finally
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. content — the amount
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. last — to go on
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. last — final
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. content — happy
  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