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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hand — in cards
  4. content — the amount
  5. mug — a face
  6. saw — the tool
  7. swing — in golf
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. court — of a king
  10. mug — a cup
  11. track — a song
  12. swing — to play on
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. content — happy
  15. swing — music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. hand — help
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. track — to keep track
  21. court — of law
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. court — for sport
  24. track — a path

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