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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. content — happy
  3. kid — to tease
  4. suit — in cards
  5. rule — government
  6. club — for golf
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pop — to visit
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. kid — child
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — to fit
  16. pop — music
  17. content — the amount
  18. pop — soda
  19. club — a group
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rule — a law
  23. scale — in music
  24. content — videos and posts

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