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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. content — the amount
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. content — happy
  8. hand — help
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. band — a music group
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. fall — the season
  24. content — videos and posts

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