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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. saw — the tool
  3. key — the most important part
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. mug — a face
  7. face — to confront
  8. mug — a cup
  9. key — for a lock
  10. content — happy
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. content — the amount
  18. face — to point toward
  19. mug — to rob
  20. saw — the tool
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wake — a trail
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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