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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mate — a friend
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. band — a music group
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. club — a group
  10. pit — a hole
  11. content — the amount
  12. swing — in golf
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stock — goods
  15. swing — music
  16. band — a ring
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mate — a partner
  19. perch — the fish
  20. content — happy
  21. club — for golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stock — shares
  24. pit — in a race

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