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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 120 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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bore — to tire
  4. swing — music
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spell — letters
  8. prune — to trim
  9. content — happy
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. content — the amount
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spell — a short time
  17. hand — help
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. spell — magic
  21. board — a committee
  22. bore — to drill
  23. hand — in cards
  24. board — to get on

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