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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. pop — music
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pop — to visit
  6. game — a match
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. content — happy
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pop — soda
  15. content — the amount
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rush — hurry
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rush — to hurry
  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