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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. content — the amount
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — decided
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pit — in a race
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. firm — a company
  17. mark — a grade
  18. content — happy
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. clip — a video
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mark — a trace

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