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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bulb — for light
  3. swing — in golf
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stock — shares
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pass — a permit
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stock — goods
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. swing — music
  21. content — happy
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. content — the amount

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