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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 all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. drill — army training
  4. swing — to play on
  5. last — final
  6. swing — music
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. last — finally
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. last — to go on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. drill — the tool
  20. deal — to handle
  21. drill — a practice
  22. content — the amount
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. nail — for a hammer

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