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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. plane — a tool
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. band — a music group
  5. content — the amount
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. swing — music
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. bark — to shout
  12. court — of a king
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. band — a ring
  15. wake — a trail
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. firm — steady
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. firm — a company
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. firm — decided
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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