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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. content — the amount
  3. cap — of ice
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. swing — in golf
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cap — a hat
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kid — child
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cap — a lid
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. hand — help
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rock — music
  23. swing — music
  24. content — happy

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