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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rule — a law
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. spell — magic
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. spell — letters
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cell — in biology
  18. content — happy
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rule — government
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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