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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. foot — a measure
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. content — happy
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cap — a lid
  8. shower — rain
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wax — to grow
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cap — of ice
  18. content — the amount
  19. bound — certain
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bound — tied together
  23. ball — a great time
  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