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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. swing — music
  5. kick — in football
  6. swing — to play on
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. content — happy
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. dip — to sink
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. perch — the fish
  23. swing — in golf
  24. content — videos and posts

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