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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. prune — to trim
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. lean — thin
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. swing — in golf
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. degree — temperature
  11. lean — to bend
  12. chip — for betting
  13. stand — to bear
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. prune — to trim
  24. degree — from a university

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