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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. content — happy
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mark — a trace
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. band — a music group
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. band — a ring
  19. content — the amount
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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