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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 120 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rock — music
  7. swing — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. swing — in golf
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. content — the amount
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cap — a lid
  16. swing — to play on
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. content — happy
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stand — to bear
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. nail — on a finger

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