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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · shower · pit · track · content · straw · object · pitcher

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. content — the amount
  3. object — an aim
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. shower — rain
  8. object — to protest
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pit — in a race
  19. object — a thing
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mark — a trace
  23. track — a song
  24. mark — a grade

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