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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. key — in music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. chair — a leader
  6. content — happy
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. key — for a lock
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — the amount
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. chair — a professorship

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