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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · mine · scale · content · straw · bound · swing · club

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. swing — music
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. club — for golf
  8. scale — in music
  9. bound — certain
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. fine — all right
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. club — a group
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. club — for dancing
  22. swing — in golf
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mine — for digging

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