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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. stock — shares
  7. season — in sport
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. stock — goods
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. content — the amount
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. face — to confront
  20. season — of the year
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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