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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rash — a series
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. chest — of your body
  9. court — of a king
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. court — of law
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. court — for sport
  24. content — the amount

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