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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. content — the amount
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. march — music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. march — the month
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. content — happy
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. march — the month
  24. spell — letters

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