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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. 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. straw — a straw man
  2. scale — size or range
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — happy
  5. scale — in music
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. land — ground
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. land — a country
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — the amount
  14. foot — a measure
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. land — to come down
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. 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