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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. content — the amount
  6. wind — moving air
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pit — in a race
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. deal — to handle
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. content — happy
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pit — a hole
  23. lie — to recline
  24. content — videos and posts

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