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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. swing — music
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spell — letters
  7. content — happy
  8. spell — magic
  9. content — the amount
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mug — a cup
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mug — to rob
  14. field — farmland
  15. pop — to visit
  16. game — wild animals
  17. field — for sport
  18. game — a match
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pop — music
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. swing — in golf
  23. field — a subject
  24. mug — a face

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