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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. craft — a skill
  3. content — the amount
  4. field — a subject
  5. tube — the underground
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. field — farmland
  8. content — happy
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bat — the animal
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. foot — a measure
  20. craft — boats
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. field — for sport
  24. bat — for baseball

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