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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. file — a tool
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. foot — a measure
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rest — what's left
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. content — the amount
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wind — moving air
  18. file — a line of people
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. file — a document
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. content — happy
  23. rest — a break
  24. cell — in biology

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