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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bulb — for light
  5. swing — music
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wind — moving air
  9. content — the amount
  10. hand — help
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wind — moving air
  13. plane — a tool
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. swing — to play on
  19. hand — in cards
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. swing — in golf
  22. content — happy
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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