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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. content — happy
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. court — of law
  10. roll — a list
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. drill — army training
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. court — of a king
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. swing — in golf
  18. drill — a practice
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. roll — a cake
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. court — for sport

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