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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. swing — music
  4. bass — low music
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pound — a weight
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pit — in a race
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. bear — to put up with

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