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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: kick · track · saw · mug · foot · sharp · bass · content

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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 face
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. track — to keep track
  4. content — happy
  5. bass — low music
  6. kick — in football
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bass — the fish
  10. foot — a measure
  11. saw — the tool
  12. track — a song
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. track — a path
  15. mug — a cup
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. content — the amount
  18. sharp — clever
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mug — to rob
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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