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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. content — the amount
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. spell — letters
  7. cap — of ice
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bound — obliged
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bound — tied together
  13. deal — to handle
  14. content — happy
  15. net — in sport
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bound — certain
  18. foot — a measure
  19. spell — magic
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. cap — a lid
  22. net — after costs
  23. spell — a short time
  24. net — for catching

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