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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. scale — size or range
  11. content — the amount
  12. bank — for money
  13. scale — in music
  14. ball — a dance
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bank — of a river
  18. key — the most important part
  19. tube — a container
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bank — for money

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