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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 · file · pitch · pound · saw · mate · court · content

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. file — a tool
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. content — happy
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mate — a partner
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. court — for sport
  10. file — a document
  11. pitch — completely
  12. saw — the tool
  13. foot — a measure
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. mate — to breed
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. file — a line of people
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. content — the amount
  24. pound — to hit hard

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