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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fall — the season
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. net — for catching
  11. content — the amount
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — government
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. root — the cause
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. root — of a word
  23. mark — a grade
  24. safe — a strongbox

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