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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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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: cabinet · wind · bound · swing · club · content · stick · ruler

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. club — a group
  6. swing — in golf
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. club — for golf
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bound — certain
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bound — tied together
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. club — for dancing
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. cabinet — ministers

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