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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: date · mark · rock · foot · land · content · chip · pound

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. land — to come down
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. content — happy
  7. chip — to eat
  8. land — a country
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pound — a weight
  15. land — ground
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rock — a stone
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chip — for betting
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mark — a trace
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. foot — the bottom

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