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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wind — moving air
  3. deal — to handle
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fall — to drop
  6. season — in sport
  7. wind — moving air
  8. season — of the year
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fall — to drop
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. tear — from crying
  15. foot — a measure
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tear — to rip
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. fall — the season
  22. content — happy
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. content — the amount

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