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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bore — to drill
  8. content — the amount
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. club — for golf
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rule — government
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. club — a group
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rule — a law
  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