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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. track — to keep track
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. track — a song
  12. cap — of ice
  13. saw — the tool
  14. foot — a measure
  15. track — a path
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cue — a signal
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — for pool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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