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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. track — a song
  4. current — electric
  5. track — a path
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. tear — from crying
  11. press — to push
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. press — a publisher
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. tear — to rip
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. current — of water
  19. track — to keep track
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. tear — from crying
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. current — happening now

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