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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. swing — to play on
  3. spell — magic
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. content — the amount
  9. swing — in golf
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. swing — music
  15. mark — a grade
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. band — a ring
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. spell — a short time
  22. content — happy
  23. hand — help
  24. band — a music group

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