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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. swing — music
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wind — moving air
  7. swing — in golf
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. cue — a signal
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. content — the amount
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cue — a hint
  17. game — a match
  18. perch — the fish
  19. net — for catching
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. swing — to play on
  22. cue — for pool
  23. content — happy
  24. perch — for a bird

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