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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. swing — music
  9. content — the amount
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. key — the most important part
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. drill — the tool
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. drill — army training
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. swing — to play on
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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