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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. content — the amount
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. content — happy
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. band — a ring
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mark — a trace
  16. suit — clothes
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. club — for golf
  19. wax — to grow
  20. suit — to fit
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. club — a group
  24. mark — to pay attention

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