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

Word bank: foot · cap · key · suit · chest · wake · content · last

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. last — final
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cap — of ice
  5. suit — to fit
  6. key — the most important part
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — in cards
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wake — a trail
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. last — to go on
  16. key — in music
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. chest — of your body
  19. last — finally
  20. chest — a box
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. cap — a lid
  24. chest — of your body

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