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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 120 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. net — for catching
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. content — the amount
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. board — to get on
  14. dip — to sink
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. board — a committee
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fork — in a road
  24. content — happy

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