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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. court — for sport
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. chest — a box
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. foot — a measure
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. content — happy
  12. game — wild animals
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tube — a container
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. content — the amount
  18. court — of law
  19. chest — of your body
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. court — of a king
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. sharp — clever
  24. tube — the underground

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