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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bat — the animal
  4. last — finally
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. swing — to play on
  7. content — the amount
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. plane — a tool
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. swing — in golf
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. suit — in cards
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. suit — to fit
  18. ball — a dance
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. swing — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. last — final
  23. suit — clothes
  24. last — to go on

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