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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: cold · content · kick · row · pit · foot · ruler · object

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. object — a thing
  3. cold — an illness
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. object — an aim
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. kick — in football
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. object — to protest
  13. pit — a hole
  14. content — happy
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. row — a line
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pit — in a race
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a quarrel

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