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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: pit · foot · mark · spring · mine · object · content · rush

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. object — a thing
  4. content — happy
  5. object — an aim
  6. mine — for digging
  7. content — the amount
  8. rush — hurry
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. spring — a coil
  11. foot — a measure
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pit — in a race
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. object — to protest
  24. mark — a grade

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