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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. can — a tin
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. file — a document
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. file — a line of people
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mine — for digging
  17. can — to be able to
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. file — a tool
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. can — a tin
  23. content — happy
  24. foot — the bottom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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