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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: foot · toast · calf · content · season · net · ball · dip

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. toast — bread
  3. dip — to sink
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. net — in sport
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. season — in sport
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. net — after costs
  16. content — the amount
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — for catching
  20. foot — a measure
  21. ball — a dance
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. ball — a great time

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