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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. mate — a friend
  5. content — happy
  6. prune — to trim
  7. foot — a measure
  8. mate — a partner
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. content — the amount
  17. chip — for betting
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wave — of the sea

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