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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. hand — help
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. last — to go on
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hand — in cards
  12. last — finally
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. chest — a box
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. last — final
  19. chest — of your body
  20. content — happy
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  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