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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. content — the amount
  3. row — to paddle
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. drill — the tool
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. drill — army training
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. shower — to wash
  14. sharp — clever
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. shower — rain
  18. drill — a practice
  19. content — happy
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bear — the animal
  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