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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: jam · ball · file · foot · patient · stem · content · kick

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. foot — a measure
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. content — the amount
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. stem — to come from
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. file — a tool
  19. content — happy
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. file — a document
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. file — a line of people

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