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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. content — the amount
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. swing — in golf
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. band — a ring
  10. content — happy
  11. present — a gift
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pitch — completely
  18. band — a music group
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. swing — music
  22. dip — to sink
  23. swing — to play on
  24. present — the time now

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