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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · sharp · firm · club · land · cell · fork · content

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. land — to come down
  3. content — happy
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. club — a group
  6. content — the amount
  7. land — ground
  8. foot — a measure
  9. club — for golf
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. fork — in a road
  12. firm — a company
  13. land — a country
  14. sharp — clever
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. club — for dancing
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. firm — steady
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. firm — decided
  24. sharp — exactly

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