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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. present — a gift
  4. bound — certain
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bound — obliged
  17. present — there
  18. ground — a position
  19. content — the amount
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. content — happy
  22. ground — the earth
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. present — the time now

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