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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. foot — a measure
  3. content — the amount
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cap — of ice
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. cap — a hat
  11. prune — to trim
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. prune — to trim
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cap — a lid
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wake — a trail
  24. trunk — of a tree

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