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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 124 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. suit — to fit
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. land — to come down
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. suit — clothes
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fine — all right
  15. land — a country
  16. wake — a trail
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fine — high quality
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. land — ground
  24. pitch — completely

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