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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 120 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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. present — there
  6. lean — to bend
  7. snap — to click
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — happy
  10. swing — music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. present — a gift
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. swing — to play on
  16. content — the amount
  17. lean — thin
  18. present — the time now
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. deal — to handle
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. ball — a great time

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