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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. roll — a list
  2. foot — a measure
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. race — humankind
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. content — the amount
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. race — the arms race
  16. content — happy
  17. rash — a series
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a cake
  20. race — a contest
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. court — of law
  23. dip — to sink
  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