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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. swing — music
  3. mate — a partner
  4. march — music
  5. staff — employees
  6. swing — in golf
  7. staff — a stick
  8. content — the amount
  9. mate — to breed
  10. staff — employees
  11. rock — music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mate — a friend
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rock — a stone
  16. swing — to play on
  17. march — the month
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. march — the month
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. deal — an agreement

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