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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. kick — in football
  5. mine — for digging
  6. root — of a word
  7. fine — all right
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rest — a break
  18. root — the cause
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. arm — a part of something

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