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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. present — a gift
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. present — the time now
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. track — to keep track
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. land — a country
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. track — a path
  14. tube — the underground
  15. land — ground
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. content — happy
  18. land — to come down
  19. present — there
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. track — a song
  24. content — the amount

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