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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. content — happy
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mark — a grade
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bulb — for light
  14. kid — child
  15. object — an aim
  16. mark — a trace
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. object — a thing
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. object — to protest
  24. plane — a tool

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