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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: sharp · content · bat · trunk · fine · foot · spring · board

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. fine — high quality
  3. spring — the season
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. sharp — clever
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fine — all right
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. spring — of water
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. content — the amount
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. spring — a coil
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. content — happy

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