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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. content — happy
  7. dip — to sink
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. content — the amount
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. club — for dancing
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. club — for golf
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bulb — for light
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bulb — for light
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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