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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rock — music
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. swing — music
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. content — the amount
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. content — happy
  18. squash — the sport
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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