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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: mug · sharp · straw · foot · game · content · rock · present

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. content — the amount
  3. foot — a measure
  4. mug — a face
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. game — wild animals
  9. content — happy
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. mug — to rob
  12. present — the time now
  13. rock — a stone
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rock — music
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. content — videos and posts

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