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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. ball — a great time
  3. tear — from crying
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — to sink
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. key — in music
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. content — the amount
  11. key — for a lock
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. tear — to rip
  15. foot — a measure
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. key — the most important part
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. ball — a dance

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