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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 120 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. key — for a lock
  4. swing — in golf
  5. band — a music group
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bear — the animal
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. content — happy
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. kid — child
  21. swing — to play on
  22. key — in music
  23. swing — music
  24. bear — the animal

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