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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. file — a line of people
  3. content — happy
  4. sharp — clever
  5. last — final
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. plane — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. file — a tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. foot — a measure
  17. lean — to bend
  18. last — finally
  19. content — the amount
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cell — in biology
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. last — to go on

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