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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. march — music
  6. hand — in cards
  7. swing — music
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — a company
  10. swing — to play on
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bear — the animal
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. firm — steady
  16. march — the month
  17. squash — the sport
  18. content — the amount
  19. bear — the animal
  20. swing — in golf
  21. march — the month
  22. hand — help
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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