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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 116 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. swing — in golf
  3. firm — a company
  4. root — of a word
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. spell — magic
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lean — to bend
  15. content — the amount
  16. band — a ring
  17. spell — a short time
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. spell — letters
  20. firm — decided
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lean — thin
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. firm — steady

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