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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. suit — to fit
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. snap — to click
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. suit — in cards
  12. land — ground
  13. foot — a measure
  14. content — the amount
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cold — an illness
  17. land — a country
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. content — happy
  20. land — to come down
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cold — not warm
  24. suit — clothes

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