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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. club — for golf
  5. field — for sport
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. content — the amount
  8. club — for dancing
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bank — for money
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bank — for money
  15. club — a group
  16. field — farmland
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bank — of a river
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. content — happy
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. field — a subject
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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