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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. swing — in golf
  3. content — the amount
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stem — to come from
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. content — happy
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. suit — in cards
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. swing — music
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. swing — to play on

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