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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
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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: content · saw · key · bat · ruler · jam · roll · swing

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. roll — a cake
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. swing — to play on
  7. key — the most important part
  8. saw — the tool
  9. key — for a lock
  10. swing — music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bat — the animal
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. key — in music
  18. roll — a list
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. swing — in golf
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. content — the amount

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