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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bat — the animal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. dip — to sink
  6. spring — the season
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. court — of law
  10. spring — of water
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. key — in music
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. court — of a king
  16. swing — to play on
  17. content — the amount
  18. swing — music
  19. court — for sport
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. spring — a coil
  23. key — the most important part
  24. content — happy

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