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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. swing — music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. land — ground
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rash — a series
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. swing — in golf
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. land — a country
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. spring — of water
  15. swing — to play on
  16. spring — the season
  17. content — the amount
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rash — hasty
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pit — a hole
  22. land — to come down
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. content — happy

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