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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. object — an aim
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. object — to protest
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. club — for golf
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. club — a group
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mug — to rob
  16. content — the amount
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mug — a face
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. object — a thing
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. straw — a straw man

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