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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bound — tied together
  5. key — in music
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bound — obliged
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bound — certain
  14. stand — to bear
  15. content — happy
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. dip — to sink
  18. swing — music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. swing — in golf
  21. content — the amount
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. swing — to play on
  24. stand — on your feet

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