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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. present — there
  8. chip — to eat
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. march — music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. march — the month
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cell — a phone
  16. content — happy
  17. chip — for betting
  18. march — the month
  19. present — the time now
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. present — a gift
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. content — the amount
  24. cell — in biology

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