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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. foot — a measure
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. content — the amount
  6. chest — of your body
  7. sharp — clever
  8. chest — of your body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. vault — a safe
  11. mark — a grade
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mine — for digging
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mark — a trace
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. content — happy
  21. chest — a box
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mark — to pay attention

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