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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. land — ground
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cue — a signal
  6. game — wild animals
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cue — a hint
  10. game — a match
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. content — the amount
  13. swing — music
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. content — happy
  19. cue — for pool
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. swing — to play on
  22. land — to come down
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. land — a country

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