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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. can — a tin
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. can — a tin
  7. club — for golf
  8. cell — in biology
  9. track — to keep track
  10. club — a group
  11. band — a ring
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. club — for dancing
  15. band — a music group
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cell — a phone
  18. content — the amount
  19. track — a song
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. content — happy
  22. can — to be able to
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. band — a rubber band

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