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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. content — the amount
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cell — in biology
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. row — to paddle
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cue — a hint
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. content — happy
  17. row — a line
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cell — in a prison

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