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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. drill — a practice
  4. land — to come down
  5. content — the amount
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. land — a country
  10. content — happy
  11. can — to be able to
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. land — ground
  15. drill — army training
  16. stock — shares
  17. wake — a trail
  18. can — a tin
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. drill — the tool
  24. can — a tin

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