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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stem — to come from
  7. game — a match
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. content — the amount
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. object — an aim
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. content — happy
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. object — a thing
  24. mine — for digging

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