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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. dip — to sink
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bear — the animal
  12. content — the amount
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wake — a trail
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. content — happy
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. content — videos and posts

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