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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. swing — music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. last — to go on
  5. swing — to play on
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. last — final
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bass — low music
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. swing — in golf
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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