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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. 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. pit — a hole
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. content — happy
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. shower — to wash
  9. track — a song
  10. shower — rain
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. track — a path
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pit — in a race
  18. 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