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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. file — a tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. file — a line of people
  7. content — the amount
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pound — a weight
  11. sharp — clever
  12. swing — to play on
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. prune — to trim
  17. content — happy
  18. swing — in golf
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. file — a document
  24. prune — the fruit

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