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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mug — a cup
  3. swing — in golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. mug — to rob
  7. club — a group
  8. toast — bread
  9. club — for golf
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. root — of a word
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. shower — to wash
  15. root — of a plant
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. mug — a face
  18. mark — a grade
  19. root — the cause
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. swing — music
  22. shower — rain
  23. swing — to play on
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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