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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cell — a phone
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. cell — in biology
  5. content — the amount
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. dip — to sink
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. board — to get on
  11. content — happy
  12. hand — help
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. hand — in cards
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. swing — music
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. board — a committee
  20. saw — the tool
  21. swing — to play on
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. swing — in golf
  24. saw — the tool

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