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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: trunk · content · band · kick · bay · mug · cold · foot

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. band — a ring
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. foot — a measure
  9. content — happy
  10. mug — to rob
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. band — a music group
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. cold — an illness
  24. foot — part of the body

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