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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lie — to recline
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. content — the amount
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. club — for dancing
  14. key — the most important part
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. content — happy
  17. key — for a lock
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. key — in music
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. pit — in a race
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pit — a hole

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