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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. object — a thing
  4. roll — a cake
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. present — there
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. suit — in cards
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. present — the time now
  12. object — to protest
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. suit — to fit
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. suit — clothes
  18. content — the amount
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. roll — a list
  21. present — a gift
  22. object — an aim
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. straw — a straw man

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