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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. swing — music
  5. stock — goods
  6. row — a line
  7. squash — to crush
  8. swing — in golf
  9. content — the amount
  10. stock — shares
  11. squash — the sport
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. chair — a leader
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. swing — to play on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. content — happy
  24. row — to paddle

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