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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mark — a trace
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bear — the animal
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. swing — music
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pop — to visit
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bear — the animal
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. racket — for tennis

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