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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. dip — to sink
  9. lean — to bend
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bulb — for light
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bulb — for light
  14. content — the amount
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lean — thin
  23. content — happy
  24. foot — the bottom

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