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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rash — hasty
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. can — a tin
  11. rash — a series
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. can — a tin
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. content — the amount
  18. wake — a trail
  19. deal — to handle
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pit — a hole
  24. content — happy

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