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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: swing · stock · bear · mug · spell · hand · ball · content

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. swing — music
  3. mug — a cup
  4. content — the amount
  5. swing — to play on
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. stock — goods
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stock — shares
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mug — to rob
  18. spell — letters
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. mug — a face
  21. bear — the animal
  22. content — happy
  23. swing — in golf
  24. hand — in cards

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