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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. content — the amount
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. content — happy
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. pit — in a race
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. wax — to grow
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. current — happening now
  22. pit — a hole
  23. date — the fruit
  24. staff — a stick

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