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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. swing — in golf
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fine — all right
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. squash — to crush
  10. swing — music
  11. rest — a break
  12. content — the amount
  13. swing — to play on
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fine — high quality
  16. deal — to handle
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lie — to recline

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