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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. content — happy
  4. swing — to play on
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. swing — music
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. club — for golf
  12. cell — in biology
  13. club — for dancing
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. club — a group
  17. deal — to handle
  18. content — the amount
  19. cell — a phone
  20. swing — in golf
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. deal — an agreement

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