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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. prune — to trim
  5. present — a gift
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. content — the amount
  8. fall — the season
  9. swing — to play on
  10. content — happy
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. present — there
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fall — to drop
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — to drop
  18. swing — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rock — music
  21. present — the time now
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rock — a stone
  24. saw — the tool

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