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

Word bank: content · net · bat · land · pit · band · foot · pound

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. land — to come down
  7. net — after costs
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. land — a country
  11. band — a music group
  12. pound — a weight
  13. content — the amount
  14. net — in sport
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pit — in a race
  18. content — happy
  19. net — for catching
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. land — ground
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bat — the animal
  24. band — a ring

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