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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. content — happy
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. saw — the tool
  7. can — a tin
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wake — a trail
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. saw — the tool
  17. swing — to play on
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. swing — music
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pound — a weight

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