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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bank — of a river
  3. rock — music
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. swing — in golf
  8. rock — a stone
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. content — the amount
  11. wound — an injury
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. capital — a city
  14. bank — for money
  15. content — happy
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — money
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. ruler — for measuring

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