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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. object — a thing
  4. wind — moving air
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. content — happy
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rock — music
  16. spell — magic
  17. object — to protest
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. content — the amount
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. object — an aim

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