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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. swing — in golf
  3. content — happy
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ground — crushed
  15. swing — music
  16. ball — a great time
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cap — a hat
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cap — of ice
  24. ground — a position

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