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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. swing — music
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. swing — to play on
  6. rule — a law
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. squash — the sport
  10. content — the amount
  11. swing — in golf
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rule — government
  14. court — of a king
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. court — of law
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. court — for sport
  24. last — final

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