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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. shower — rain
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. fall — to drop
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. lean — to bend
  17. face — to confront
  18. squash — to crush
  19. content — the amount
  20. fall — the season
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lean — thin
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rush — hurry

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