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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 116 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. shower — rain
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. band — a music group
  5. swing — music
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fine — all right
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. swing — in golf
  10. shower — to wash
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pop — music
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fine — high quality
  16. swing — to play on
  17. squash — to crush
  18. band — a ring
  19. squash — the sport
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. content — the amount
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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