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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. content — the amount
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mark — a grade
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. tear — from crying
  10. can — to be able to
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. tear — from crying
  15. can — a tin
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mark — a trace
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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