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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. charge — in control
  3. hand — help
  4. content — the amount
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. file — a tool
  7. chair — a leader
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. charge — a price
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. file — a document
  16. perch — the fish
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. file — a line of people
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. charge — electricity
  22. content — happy
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. hand — in cards

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