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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. swing — music
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. content — happy
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. swing — in golf
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. band — a ring
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bank — for money
  18. foot — a measure
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. chip — for betting
  23. band — a music group
  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