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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. field — farmland
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. spell — a short time
  9. dip — to sink
  10. spell — letters
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. suit — in cards
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. lean — to bend
  19. suit — to fit
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. suit — clothes
  24. dip — to dunk

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