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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. spell — letters
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. spell — a short time
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. swing — in golf
  12. spell — magic
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. lean — to bend
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. content — the amount
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. content — happy
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. swing — music
  24. temple — a place of worship

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