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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. content — the amount
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. fall — the season
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. firm — steady
  14. swing — in golf
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. content — happy
  17. spring — of water
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spring — the season
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  24. spring — a coil

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