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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. content — the amount
  5. suit — clothes
  6. suit — to fit
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. march — music
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. press — a publisher
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. press — to push
  15. rock — music
  16. suit — in cards
  17. press — newspapers
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. kick — in football
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. rock — a stone

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