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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. content — the amount
  5. object — an aim
  6. mug — a face
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. row — a line
  10. charge — electricity
  11. lie — to recline
  12. content — happy
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. row — to paddle
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mug — to rob
  18. squash — the sport
  19. mug — a cup
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. charge — a price
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. charge — in control
  24. object — to protest

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