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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. land — to come down
  3. foot — a measure
  4. craft — a skill
  5. rest — what's left
  6. land — a country
  7. rest — what's left
  8. craft — boats
  9. rest — a break
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. content — happy
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bass — low music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. land — ground
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. foot — part of the body

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