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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cell — a phone
  3. court — of law
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. swing — in golf
  7. content — happy
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. court — of a king
  13. cell — in biology
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. court — for sport
  16. craft — a skill
  17. swing — to play on
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. prune — to trim
  22. craft — boats
  23. content — the amount
  24. bore — gave birth

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