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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. track — a path
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bank — of a river
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bank — for money
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bank — for money
  11. track — to keep track
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pound — a weight
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. track — a song
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. content — the amount
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pit — in a race

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