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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. last — finally
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. mug — a face
  5. rush — hurry
  6. track — a path
  7. foot — a measure
  8. track — a song
  9. mug — to rob
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mug — a cup
  13. can — a tin
  14. content — the amount
  15. court — of law
  16. content — happy
  17. last — to go on
  18. court — of a king
  19. last — final
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. track — to keep track
  23. can — a tin
  24. court — for sport

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