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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — a cake
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. pop — music
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. club — a group
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. craft — a skill
  13. club — for golf
  14. rock — a stone
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. content — happy
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. craft — boats
  21. content — the amount
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rock — music
  24. club — for dancing

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