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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pitch — completely
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. club — a group
  5. bulb — for light
  6. club — for dancing
  7. swing — music
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mug — a face
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. content — happy
  17. swing — to play on
  18. chest — a box
  19. mug — a cup
  20. chest — of your body
  21. club — for golf
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. content — videos and posts

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