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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. content — the amount
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hand — in cards
  8. club — a group
  9. hand — help
  10. swing — music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. swing — in golf
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. club — for golf
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. squash — the vegetable

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