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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. foot — a measure
  5. season — of the year
  6. present — a gift
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. can — a tin
  9. last — to go on
  10. content — the amount
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. can — a tin
  14. content — happy
  15. chest — of your body
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. present — there
  18. can — to be able to
  19. last — finally
  20. present — the time now
  21. bass — the fish
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bass — low music
  24. season — in 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