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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. content — happy
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. squash — the sport
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. can — a tin
  10. deal — to handle
  11. can — a tin
  12. swing — in golf
  13. can — to be able to
  14. content — the amount
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. squash — to crush
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. branch — a division
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a hole

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