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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: bat · content · fan · swing · bowl · tube · snap · deal

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. tube — the underground
  3. snap — to click
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. swing — to play on
  7. content — happy
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. swing — in golf
  10. deal — to handle
  11. swing — music
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. tube — a container
  23. content — the amount
  24. fan — a supporter

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