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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. shower — rain
  3. mug — a face
  4. content — the amount
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mug — a cup
  8. content — happy
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. lean — to bend
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cue — a hint
  17. mug — to rob
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cue — for pool
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. cue — a signal
  24. lean — thin

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