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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mug — to rob
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. land — ground
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. roll — a list
  9. content — happy
  10. mug — a face
  11. land — a country
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. roll — a cake
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. content — the amount
  16. rash — a series
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mug — a cup
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — a trail
  24. land — to come down

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