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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. content — happy
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mate — to breed
  5. firm — a company
  6. track — a path
  7. present — there
  8. firm — steady
  9. track — a song
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. present — the time now
  12. swing — music
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. kick — in football
  15. mate — a friend
  16. firm — decided
  17. present — a gift
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mate — a partner
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. track — to keep track
  23. content — the amount
  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