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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 like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. swing — in golf
  3. content — happy
  4. march — the month
  5. chest — a box
  6. content — the amount
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. march — the month
  11. swing — music
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. march — music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. swing — to play on
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. leaves — lets stay

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