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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. content — the amount
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. content — happy
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. hand — in cards
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. track — a song
  16. bank — of a river
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. current — electric
  20. kick — in football
  21. track — a path
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. hand — part of the body

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