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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: rule · foot · content · row · game · ball · pitch · kick

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. game — wild animals
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. game — a match
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rule — a law
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. kick — in football
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. content — happy
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. foot — a measure
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rule — government
  22. content — the amount
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. ball — a dance

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