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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. degree — from a university
  3. staff — employees
  4. content — the amount
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pound — a weight
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. content — happy
  12. chest — of your body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. chest — a box
  15. staff — a stick
  16. foot — a measure
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. staff — employees
  24. pitcher — a jug

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