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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. object — an aim
  2. track — to keep track
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. content — happy
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. track — a song
  7. root — of a plant
  8. track — a path
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wake — a trail
  12. game — a match
  13. root — the cause
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. object — to protest
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. content — the amount
  20. root — of a word
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. game — wild animals
  23. object — a thing
  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