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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rock — music
  6. cap — a hat
  7. content — the amount
  8. court — of law
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chip — to eat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. court — of a king
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chip — for betting
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mate — to breed
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. court — for sport
  24. swing — in golf

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