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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. swing — music
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. fine — all right
  8. rush — hurry
  9. swing — in golf
  10. content — happy
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. bulb — for light
  18. content — the amount
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rash — a series
  22. bulb — for light
  23. land — ground
  24. fine — a penalty

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