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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 120 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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. staff — a stick
  3. content — happy
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. degree — temperature
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. land — to come down
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. snap — to click
  15. content — the amount
  16. land — a country
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. lean — to bend
  19. land — ground
  20. foot — a measure
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lean — thin
  23. degree — an amount
  24. foot — part of the body

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