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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. shower — to wash
  3. march — music
  4. spell — letters
  5. shower — rain
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. content — the amount
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. foot — a measure
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. spell — magic
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. content — happy
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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