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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. content — the amount
  7. land — to come down
  8. swing — to play on
  9. land — a country
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. land — ground
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. squash — the sport
  17. content — happy
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. swing — music

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