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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. swing — music
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mug — a face
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. board — a committee
  9. present — a gift
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mug — a cup
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mug — to rob
  22. pitch — completely
  23. board — to get on
  24. swing — to play on

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