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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. swing — music
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. spell — magic
  5. swing — to play on
  6. roll — a cake
  7. sharp — clever
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. tear — from crying
  10. roll — a list
  11. spell — letters
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. tear — to rip
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cap — a lid
  19. content — the amount
  20. cap — a hat
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cap — of ice
  23. swing — in golf
  24. content — happy

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