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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. field — for sport
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. band — a ring
  7. foot — a measure
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wake — a trail
  15. field — a subject
  16. content — happy
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. field — farmland
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. content — the amount
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. date — on the calendar

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