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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. present — the time now
  3. foot — a measure
  4. kid — to tease
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. content — the amount
  8. staff — employees
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. plane — a tool
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. content — happy
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. present — there
  20. kid — child
  21. present — a gift
  22. staff — employees
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. jam — a tight spot

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