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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. roll — a list
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. deal — to handle
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. content — happy
  13. roll — a cake
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rash — a series
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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