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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. content — happy
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. swing — to play on
  8. plane — a tool
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. lean — to bend
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lean — thin
  22. swing — in golf
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. content — the amount

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