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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fine — all right
  4. content — happy
  5. bore — to drill
  6. swing — music
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bore — to tire
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pop — soda
  16. cell — a phone
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fine — high quality

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