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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. race — the arms race
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. content — happy
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. tube — the underground
  9. scale — in music
  10. pop — soda
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. scale — size or range
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. race — humankind
  15. pop — to visit
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pop — music
  19. race — a contest
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. plane — a tool
  24. content — the amount

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