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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. ground — crushed
  4. suit — in cards
  5. row — a line
  6. suit — to fit
  7. content — the amount
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. deal — to handle
  15. swing — music
  16. content — happy
  17. ground — a position
  18. swing — to play on
  19. row — to paddle
  20. swing — in golf
  21. ground — the earth
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. suit — clothes
  24. temple — a place of worship

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