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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. suit — clothes
  3. kick — in football
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mark — a trace
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fall — the season
  8. ground — the earth
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fork — in a road
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. ground — a position
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. suit — to fit
  16. swing — music
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. suit — in cards
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mark — a grade

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