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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 116 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mate — a friend
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. can — a tin
  5. last — finally
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. last — final
  8. content — happy
  9. can — to be able to
  10. band — a ring
  11. last — to go on
  12. mate — a partner
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mate — to breed
  17. content — the amount
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. can — a tin
  24. band — a music group

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