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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. content — happy
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. spell — letters
  6. swing — music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. net — after costs
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. spell — a short time
  11. content — the amount
  12. spell — magic
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. dip — to sink
  18. net — in sport
  19. swing — to play on
  20. net — for catching
  21. pound — a weight
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pound — to hit hard

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