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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stand — to bear
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bat — the animal
  8. content — happy
  9. land — a country
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. land — to come down
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. content — the amount
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. content — videos and posts

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