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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. swing — music
  6. content — the amount
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wound — an injury
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kid — child
  14. prune — to trim
  15. content — happy
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — to play on
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. race — humankind
  22. kid — to tease
  23. race — the arms race
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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