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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: lean · degree · foot · nail · suit · mark · court · content

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. court — for sport
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. court — of law
  11. content — the amount
  12. lean — to bend
  13. suit — to fit
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lean — thin
  17. suit — in cards
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. mark — a grade
  20. degree — temperature
  21. court — of a king
  22. content — happy
  23. suit — clothes
  24. degree — from a university

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