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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. net — for catching
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. net — after costs
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. content — happy
  15. deal — to handle
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. toast — bread
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. net — in sport

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