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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. content — the amount
  3. prune — to trim
  4. swing — music
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bound — obliged
  7. swing — in golf
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bound — tied together
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. date — the fruit
  13. spell — letters
  14. bound — certain
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. content — happy
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. swing — to play on
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. content — videos and posts

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