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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. lean — thin
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bat — the animal
  6. present — there
  7. fork — in a road
  8. content — happy
  9. court — of a king
  10. mug — a cup
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mug — to rob
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mug — a face
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. foot — a measure
  21. content — the amount
  22. present — the time now
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. foot — the bottom

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